Queen's Heir
by VaranFall
Summary: The miasma spreads, the Lost are growing more powerful and with Blood Beads becoming rarer by the day Revenants are becoming desperate to survive in a endless struggle. But as Vein struggles, a Revenant of unique power rises, a Successor to the Queen's gifts. Will the Successor be able to harness his powers and revitalize Vein, or will he succumb to the burden of the Queen's might?
1. Awakening

_"Hello?"_

_'What?'_

_"Can you hear me?"_

_"Who, where are… what is this?"_

_"I'm sorry, you lost most of your memories and your likely being flooded with sensations you don't understand. But I don't have time, you to listen carefully. The world is failing, the fragile balance is threatening to break at any day now. You must fix it."_

_"Fix it? How? What? What is going on? I can't even remember my name, what am I supposed to do to help the-argh!"_

_"You're body's reawakening. I don't have much more time. Listen, you are special, you can preserve the balance. You have a gift, one that few could hope to comprehend. Please, you must save the Successors, free them of their burden and do what we couldn't. I know you can do, but I wish you luck, Heredis."_

_"Wait, wish luck with what!? Where are you going!? Where am I!? Who am I!? Wait!"_

* * *

With a shocked gasp, Heredis' eyes snapped open. He winced in pain immediately, forcing him to blink the pain away. After the third blink, a figure slowly leaned into sight. Once his vision would return, he'd realize that the figure was the face of a young woman, her hair white as snow and enchanting yellow eyes.

"You're awake." She saidmonotonously, noting his eye movements slow down to become more focused.

"Where…" His voice came out huskily, his throat feeling both dry and scratched. A feeling of fatigue spread through his entire body, his arms and legs refusing to move initially. The mysterious girl then helped him sit up, noticing his weakness while she measured his face.

Aside from his short silver hair and light blue eyes, his face was covered in black veins. The veins were a foreboding warning, one she was aware of and had to take care of quickly.

Once he was sitting up, Heredis stared in shock and horror as he took in the surroundings around him. He was in the center of a destroyed city, every building around them either collapsed or near destruction. It was a sight of desolation, as far as he could see there was devastation.

"It's okay…" The woman said, getting his attention. "I don't know what happened either. But please, we need to get you moving. You're starved from blood, there should be a bloodspring nearby."

"A… what?"

"I will try to explain, but please get up first." The woman said, getting up and helping the man up. With them both standing, the man noticed the full appearance of the woman, her white clothes ripped and torn across that barely hid her voluptuous figure. Of her entire outfit, the only part that seemed intact was the hood on her head and the straps of fabric that went down, the cloth in perfect condition.

Looking down at himself, he saw that his own clothes was in a damaged condition. His entire torso was covered in a military jacket with armor going up his right arm. There was a torn shall going down his right arm, adding on to the giant rip across his torso and the hole that was over the left of his chest.

_'I was injured?'_

"Please, follow me." The woman said, getting his attention again as he noticed she was several steps ahead of him. His body was weak and felt an extreme thirst, but he managed to push against it walk towards her, the woman walking slowly next to him as he limped to follow. "We may go slow, I understand that you're weak right now."

Heredis limped as he walked, the thirst growing stronger with each step he took. He had nearly stumbled down multiple times, the woman catching him each time to prevent his collapse. They had only gone a fair thirty meters, but the man's body felt as if it was ready to break apart. But once they traveled into a more open area, the woman approached a strange root.

The root was massive, protruding out from the ground and spreading a small radius around it. The root was pure white, a drastic contrast to the ruined city that it was growing in the middle of.

The woman looked to the root, puzzlement on her face as she saw there was nothing on the root. "It appears… that everyone is thirsty." She commented, looking back to the man. "Please, come close."

Heredis was uncertain of what was going on, but in his current condition he didn't even have the strength to speak anymore. So he would listen, stepping towards her and stopping just a foot away from the root's growth. Getting close to the root caused something to spur in him, his thirst drastically growing as he bent down in exertion.

"It's okay." The woman promised, watching as he'd pant hungrily, his eyes glowing bright red while his teeth began to slowly sharpen. "It'll only be for a few seconds." She added, gently taking his arm and holding it over one of the root's growth. Opening her mouth, the woman revealed her own set of sharpened teeth, followed by her biting into the man's wrist and drawing blood.

Wincing at the bite, the man realized the pain was nearly nonexistent. And his blood began to drip from the mark and fall to the roots. Only three drops had stained the white substance, but the reaction alone caused it to produce a bright light. The man's eyes closed as the light scattered into particles, and as if it was the proper time of blooming, several fruits began to grow and develop.

Seeing the fruits, the woman would release his arm, Heredis stepping two paces back as he felt his thirst nearing the limit he could handle. When he'd manage to look up, he'd see the woman hold one of the small fruits to him, offering it for him.

"Drink this, it will quench your thirst." She said.

The man wanted to evaluate what was going on, but the thirst he felt was too great and he took the fruit from her. Biting into it, he'd feel his thirst slowly go away as the liquid flowed through his teeth into his body. He held the fruit up and craned his neck back, gulping down as much of the fruit's contents as he craved to quell his thirst. As he drank, the veins across his face receded, his appearance returning to normal thanks to the fluids.

Once he was finished, he dropped the fruit and sigh in relief, panting for air as he hadn't taken a single breath as he was too desperate to drink. His panting remained for several seconds, his slowing breath showing his recovery as he looked back down to the woman in white.

"Who… are you?" He questioned.

"My name is Io. I have traveled a great distance to find you."

"Why?"

"I… do not remember." Io admitted. "My memories are foggy, I recall the need to find you. But I cannot remember the reason as to why."

"Where… where are… where are we?"

"I am unsure as to the name, but I am aware this is the sight of where a battle many years ago took place." She explained, looking to Heredis as she saw him stagger slightly. "Are you alright? The Blood Bead will have satisfied your thirst, but you appear to still be weak."

"I'll… be fine. I just need a few seconds to… rest and I'll…" He attempted to speak, but as he did his head became more dazed, his eyes unfocused as he passed out from exhaustion. Io caught him as he fell forward, helping lie him down with his head resting on her lap.

"Rest well." She said, giving a small smile as she would rest her back against the root. She remained watchful, her own exhaustion present as she allowed the man to sleep in peace.

"Hey, look at this." After what was an hour, two men walked into view, both armed with long barreled rifles with jagged bayonets. They had on a set of gas masks, covering the entirety of their faces.

"A fresh bloodspring, and new workers." The second man said, the two sharing covered smirks before approaching the two. Io remained unaware of their presence until one aimed his rifle at the woman, the sound of the metal clanking getting her attention.

"Get up." He ordered, the woman tilting her head in confusion as she stared directly into the barrel.

* * *

"Ngh… my head." Heredis groaned, his eyes opening to see Io's head leaned forward slightly. He saw the woman was fast asleep, her exhaustion catching up to her while he was asleep himself. She had a gas mask on her face, the top left half damaged but managing to do its job. Looking past her though, he'd see a concrete ceiling, causing his eyes to widen in shock. "Where the hell!?"

"Hey, keep it down." A man said, sitting across from Io with his back against a destroyed pillar. "Your friend there just fell asleep, she's been watching over you since you got here."

"Since we got here?" Heredis responded, carefully sitting up without disturbing Io's rest. Looking around, he'd see that he was in a concrete room, chunks of the walls missing at one end to reveal the skyline, obscured by a dark red mist. "I'm going to hate asking so many questions, but where is here?"

"A small territory close to the Red Mist." The man answered. "We're here because a group of Revenants need bodies to look for Blood Beads."

"Okay, Revenants is something I understand." Heredis noted, the concepts behind Revenants. He couldn't tell why, but he knew they were some kind of immortal beings that could survive most forms of mortal wounds. The finer details were lost on him, but he remembered that much.

"Is there any way out?"

"Why, you intend on fighting off seven armed Revenants with nothing but your gifts and Blood Veil?"

"…"

"Oh wow, you definitely lost a lot of memories at your latest revival." The man sighed, shifting his mask as he did. "I'll guess you at least know gifts, they're just powers we Revenants have from being injected with the BOR Parasites."

"Okay, and a Blood Veil?"

"Your combat jacket." The man answered, pointing to Heredis' damaged coat. "That's your Blood Veil. An Ogre-type I would think. There're four Blood Veil types, yours is the most basic but most versatile. You can summon a claw around the armor on your right arm, it'll pack a hell of a punch and drain some blood for you to enhance your ichor as well."

"A claw?" He muttered, looking to his arm. Staring at the limb and imagining the process, he'd watch as the metal shifted and transformed, a black mass twisting around him until it burst free. Heredis would flinch in surprise as he saw a massive claw replace his arm, the fingers made from razor sharp blades and twisted metal across the rest of his arm.

"There, you seem to have the hang of it." The man stated. "It's easy to pull up and get rid of. Just imagine it going away and you're good." Following his advice, Heredis would close his eyes and concentrate, feeling his arm lighten until he saw the claw disappear into a black mist that went back into his Blood Veil.

"That's… something."

"Wait until you see some of the other types." The man chuckled. "Hey, where's your mask? I don't think I saw you with one when they dropped you in here."

"Mask?"

"A filtration device, we use it to travel through areas with miasma in the air." He explained, gesturing to a set of crates behind him. "Might want to grab one, we're waiting for the moment they send us out."

Nodding, Heredis stood up, his body feeling rejuvenated after he drank from the fruit and rested. Walking to the crates, he scavenged around the masks, finding that a large amount of the masks either had a large crack in the plating or in the filters. Eventually he found a simple mask that would cover the lower portion of his face, the center almost appearing to have a set of teeth with two small red cylinder filters on the sides.

"So how do these go on?"

"Just pop them on to the frame on your face and it'll lock on its own. Don't worry about fitting, the frame will do that work for you."

"Frame?" Reaching to his face, Heredis finally noticed that a strange metal was present on the sides of his jawline. Figuring it was the frame, he placed the mask against it before feeling a click go off. The mask then shifted and pressed itself more against his face, covering it enough that it held on tight.

Breathing in, he realized the air he was breathing felt significantly heavier than it was filtered. He put together it was the miasma that the man mentioned before, now knowing he was breathing in probably more then he should have. Which he assumed currently was why he had that overbearing thirst when he first woke up.

Now having his air filtered, Heredis took the opportunity to look around, seeing a small batch of Revenants all keeping to themselves. Some were curled against the wall, one visibly sucking on one of the fruit's Heredis had earlier, trying to get whatever scrap of fluid he can from the empty vessel. Others were mumbling to themselves, scratching at their faces or necks as they stared endlessly into the Red Mist.

"Out here, people are nearing the verge of frenzy already." The man spoke, getting Heredis' attention again. "Everyone here has no where to go, we were easy pickings for the organized Revenants here. You and your friend had bad luck ending up here."

"Well, it happens." Heredis stated, flinching as a loud clank was heard, followed by a ladder collapsing down.

"Alright everyone, get up here!" One of the Revenants above called down, one armed with a bayonet jumping down.

"You're all heading out, both old and fresh scavengers get up!" The Revenant ordered, motioning up the ladder with his rifle. "And make it quick!" He barked, getting a few of the Revenants to jump as they climbed the ladder. "Miasma's getting thick, so you won't want to be holed up for too long now."

"Io, Io wake up." Heredis said, kneeling down next to the woman as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Io, but you need to wake up now."

"Hey, what's the hold up!?" The Revenant shouted, stepping towards the two as he did. "Get off your asses and get moving!"

"Io's just sleeping, I'm trying to wake her up." Heredis responded. "Just give us a minute."

"Oh, think you're in charge here hot shot?" The Revenant questioned, and before Heredis realized it he was struck in the side of his head by the butt of the rifle. "When I say move, you move!"

Heredis was knocked over from the blow, his mask causing sparks to go off when he landed on the concrete. Although he managed to shake off his disorientation, turning to face the Revenant with a cold glare.

"Get up bitch, time to work for the hospitality you're getting." He stated, kicking at Io's leg to wake her up. The woman groaned from the hit, but her eyes were still closed, getting an angered growl from him. "I said wake up!"

"Back off!" The Revenant's head would snap to the side, a rock falling to the ground after it struck his cheek. He then turned to Heredis, the man grinning as he tossed a rock in his hand. "What's the matter, big tough Revenant feel a small rock?"

"Look's like we have a real smartass. I'll teach you to keep that mouth of yours shut!" The Revenant shouted, lunging at Heredis and striking him with the barrel of his rifle. Heredis was knocked down again, unable to defend himself without a weapon as the Revenant stood over him, holding his weapon by the barrel as he slammed the butt of it on Heredis' back.

"What's the matter? Your only skill throwing rocks or something?" He chuckled, repeatedly slamming his stock on Heredis' back. When the downed Revenant stopped moving, he'd throw in a swift kick to his side, satisfied at his work. "There, that should keep you a bit more tight lipped. Now get moving."

"Why? We just started?" Heredis chuckled, coughing out a bit of blood as he looked to his captor. "Getting tired already?"

"Why you little!" The Revenant raised his weapon up to strike down again, but before he could a hand grabbed his wrist from behind. Looking behind him, the man stared in surprise as it was Io, the woman having gotten up and stopped him. "The hell?"

The woman did nothing after she stopped him, simply release her hold and go down to help Heredis up. "I am sorry, you got hurt for my sake." She said gently.

"Nah, I kind of had that coming." He chuckled in response, appreciating Io's help as they reached the ladder. The two began to climb up, the guard looking in confusion as they left without looking back, still shocked at how effortlessly Io caught his attack.

* * *

"Damn miasma's getting thick." The leader of the Revenants grunted, kicking a strange growth of blue roots as he did. "Even the Mistle's gone dry. And the damn Provisional Government is coming around for their levy soon."

"Sir, we brought them all." A Revenant spoke up, the leader turning to see all the scavengers they kept.

"Good, we're going to need all of them." The leader nodded, smirking under his mask as he stepped towards the group. "Well, you all look rested. That's good, you're going to need all your strength for today."

"B-But the Mistle's dried up, if we go looking we'll-gh!" A Revenant attempted to object, but was struck in the back by one of the guards, falling to his knees. Heredis stepped forward, but was stopped as another Revenant held his arm in front of him.

"Not now, you'll only get yourself ashed." He warned, his voice sympathetic as he watched the scene continue.

"Well, that's always a risk." The leader said, looking down to the knocked over Revenant as he reached behind his back, pulling out one of the fruits Heredis drank from earlier. "As you know, our stash of Blood Beads is getting low, and Silva's Cerberus troops will be coming around soon to collect our levy. We don't have nearly enough to pay, so you'll all need to go and get us some more so we can remain in business."

_'So that's what they are. Blood Beads.'_

"But with the miasma, we could-"

"Possibly, but I'm sure you'll all do fine." The leader chuckled. "Just don't let the Lost kill ya and you have nothing to worry about. Now head out, if you all can bring back at least three Blood Beads you're cleared to stay and not be left in the miasma."

"Move!" The guards began to shove the captive Revenants, having to push extra on Heredis before he stepped back in pace with Io and the Revenant next to him. As the three of them followed to where they were being led, Io was stopped as the leader grabbed hold of her shoulder.

"Now hold on, you're staying here." He said, getting Heredis to turn.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" He argued, two Revenants crossing their weapons and holding him back. "Get your hands off her!"

"You don't need to worry, she's just to stay by my side, to be sure you come back." The leader smirked under his mask, Heredis' eyes narrowing in anger. "Fresh recruits always attempt to grab Beads and bail. She's just insurance you don't get any funny ideas. And come back with some Blood Beads, and everything's well. And if you don't, well she may have a few ways to keep a spot in our merry band."

"You son of a-!"

"Get moving!" The guards barked, punching Heredis and causing him to stumble several steps back. The Revenant placed a hand on his back, keeping him balanced as he recovered and glared at the guards.

"It will be okay." Io spoke up, getting Heredis' attention as she looked to him. "I know you'll be back, so don't trouble yourself over me."

"Io…" He muttered, giving one last glare to the head Revenant before grunting, turning around along with his fellow prisoner. The two guards assigned to them led them to where their search would be, pairs of two being sent in one at a time. When it was their turn, the two were kicked down, crashing onto the rock ground next to a dried Mistle.

"Sorry I stopped you, but I don't think you would've lasted long without a weapon." The Revenant said, him and Heredis groaning as they pushed themselves to stand up.

"Eh, I probably would've just gotten decked in the face. Although I think I might've gotten a good swing in before that." Heredis said, enjoying the idea of punching the leader of their captors before turning to his fellow Revenant. "Thanks for catching me though, beats falling on my ass."

"No problem, we're both stuck here so we might as well try and work together." He responded, holding his hand out to Heredis. "My name's Oliver Collins, guess we're searching partners."

"Yeah, I guess." Heredis responded, shaking Oliver's hand. "My name is… I think it's Heredis?"

"Memories gone?" Oliver guessed. "Eh, it's okay. I've forgotten a lot of mine as well. One of the downsides of dying is losing sight of who you were. Good thing we're gonna make it through this no problem."

"You're an enthusiastic fellow."

"Gotta be with how things are here." Oliver stated, chuckling as he reached behind his back and grabbed his massive hammer. "So, shall we get to hunting?"

"In a second." Heredis muttered, looking to the Mistle. "This thing, the guy called it a Mistle right?"

"Yeah, we normally use them to replenish out regenerative powers by resting by them."

"Should we do that before going?"

"Can't, it's dried out." Oliver informed. "The miasma's too thick, if we had some special kind of drops from Operation Queenslayer we could revive it. But only the Provisional Government have any, and they use is rarely because of the limited supply. We should focus on finding a bloodspring, staying down here for too long could be a problem."

"Wait, I think I have an idea." Heredis said, stepping to the Mistle. Recalling to earlier, he remembered that Io had managed to cause the bloodspring to blossom several Blood beads by spilling some of his blood on it. Working on the hunch, Heredis bit his wrist harshly, drawing blood and letting it drip onto the Mistle.

"What are you…" Oliver started, but the words would die in his throat as he saw the Mistle begin to glow, a shinning blue light coming from the stem as the leaves spread out, small blue particles being released from it. "No way…"

"I'm guessing it's no longer dried?" Heredis asked, standing up as he flicked his hand, letting the blood drip as he did. "This should make things easier on us right?"

"Yes, yes, YES! This is amazing!" Oliver said, ecstatic under his mask as he looked to Heredis. "You managed to revive it! That's incredible! How did you do that!?"

"I'm… not sure honestly." Heredis answered. "Back when I first woke up, Io used my blood on one of those bloodsprings. When the roots absorbed it, a few of those Blood Beads began to grow after a few blue particles shot out. I was dazed, but I was certain my blood had something to do with it. So I took a shot in the dark on it."

"You can revive Mistles AND revitalize bloodsprings!?" Oliver laughed, cheering to himself as he did. "Heredis, do you know what this means!? We don't have to find a Blood Bead on a new bloodspring! We just have to find any one and if you blood works we'll have plenty to turn in! This cuts the search to a fraction of what it would be!"

"We'll be able to get back to Io quicker." Heredis realized, Oliver pointing to him in confirmation.

"Exactly! We won't have to keep your friend waiting, and we can help everyone looking! We could save a lot of lives like this!"

"Then what are we waiting for? We have some Blood Beads to find."

"Hell yeah!" Oliver cheered. "Although… maybe let me take the lead."

"Eh?"

"You don't have a weapon, might make things a little difficult on yourself." The Revenant pointed out, getting Heredis to realize he was in an underground system with supposed mutations without a means to defend himself.

"Well, I do have my Blood Veil." Heredis commented, summoning his claw. "I could always use this."

"Yeah, but it also takes a lot of strength to keep your claw up for an extended time. It's best to use it sparingly."

"Ugh, fine. Let's just find a corpse and see if it has something I can use."

"Nothing down here is a corpse, but finding a weapon shouldn't be a problem." Oliver noted, the two taking a second to let the Mistle recover their strength before heading off. The territory was of an old structure, but by the level of destruction the were more likely to enter a cave then find a way out.

As they walked, Heredis occasionally saw stains of blood across the walls and floor, blackened with mutant fungi growing around it in a horrid fashion. He also winced, seeing mangled skeletons, bones broken apart or completely severed apart, the worst with a crushed skull and snapped spine.

"Lost don't have a habit of showing mercy, so don't show any to them either." Oliver stated, stepping over a larger mass of fungus that obscured their path. "They're Revenants like us, or were anyways. So they're a lot stronger than a human. But they're mostly mindless and work on bloodlust, so they're predictable."

"Noted." Heredis responded, gagging at the feeling of the fungus as he climbed over it. "Anything else?"

"They produce the miasma in the air, the more there are the quicker you could frenzy if your mask gets knocked off." He warned, looking ahead and stopping suddenly.

"Something wrong?" He asked before following Oliver's line of vision, his eyes widening to see a mutated creature slumped against the wall. It was grotesque and volatile, its skin stretched with bone structures growing out of it. The skin was pigmented, a ghastly color compared to whatever it used to be, and its face was the most disfigured, apparently fused with the mask the Revenant was wearing.

"That's what the average Lost looks like." Oliver informed, walking up to it carefully, investigating it before sighing in relief. "Looks like we're clear, it appears to be in assimilation."

"Assimilation?"

"It's the final step of going from Revenant to Lost. They go into a sort of hibernation, remaining dormant until the BOR Parasite is completely mutated inside it." Oliver briefed, kicking its foot in demonstration. "After you completely lose yourself, the BOR Parasite goes crazy, expanding from your heart to infect your entire body. Unlike us, a stab to the heart won't kill them for good. It'll only turn them to ash until they fully heal. So never go to the same place expecting them to be gone for good."

"Truly immortal and we can die by getting our hearts destroyed, good two in one lesson." Heredis nodded, rubbing his chest subconsciously.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot you don't remember a lot of what makes us Revenants tick." Oliver chuckled awkwardly. "Well you shouldn't need to worry too much. Lost can barely strike precise so a stab wound to the heart is unlikely. Most likely thing to kill you like that would be another Revenant."

"That doesn't make it better." Heredis commented, his eyes drifting until he spotted another Lost, this one laying on the ground with what appeared to be a sword impaled in it's chest. "Hey, would that work?"

"That sword? It should, although it's probably a little dull." Oliver admitted. "Looks like a really old blade, I think that's the mutated version of the old Queenslayer Blades."

"I've been hearing Queenslayer a lot, what is that some kind of brand?" Heredis asked, grabbing the hilt of the sword. He pulled at the sword a few times, finding it stuck between the Lost's mutated ribcage. Along with the taut flesh, it would take three good pulls to remove it from the body, blackish red blood spraying out from it. "_Gross._"

"Well, it kind of is." Oliver hesitated to say. "I don't know the full story, but apparently about a decade ago some powerful Lost had emerged dubbed "The Queen". A lot of Revenants were made to fight it, and the Queenslayer stuff was the mass-produced equipment to fight."

"Wait, so my jacket…"

"Maybe you lost a lot of your memories because the Queen got you good." Oliver guessed. "I hear sometimes a death can be so painful it could equal a hundred deaths. That would certainly do a number on anyone's head, as well as keep them down for years."

"Yeah…" Heredis thought, looking at the tainted blade as he watched the blood slowly spill down. "You're probably right…"

"Hey, don't get too down. So you lost your memories, you're still you." Oliver encouraged, placing a supporting hand on Heredis' shoulder. "You just got to start making new memories, from new choices."

"We'll see." Heredis muttered, the two beginning their walk again. "But first I have to focus on getting back to Io. I can figure out what comes next when I get there."

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"I don't know. I woke up to her and she helped me get a Blood Bead and allowed me to recover my physical strength. Then she saved me from one of the guards by stopping him. Maybe she is important, but I don't know. I guess…"

"She's your only certainty, and you want to return the favor." Oliver spoke, more stated than questioned. "I can get that, I used to have someone like that. It was a long time ago, and I forgot most of the memories. But I know they were important to me."

"Thank you Oliver."

"Eh, no problem." The Revenant smirked, bumping Heredis' shoulder with his elbow. "And besides, it certainly doesn't hurt that your special link is easy on the eyes."

"Don't get any funny ideas."

"Hehe, I'm not. Just making an observation is all."

"Right, I'm watching you buster."

"Good, you can see me kick Lost butt then."

* * *

"How you holding up over there?" Oliver called out, rolling under the swing of an active Loss before raising his hammer up to block a downward swing from a second Lost.

"Oh you know!" Heredis shouted, holding his sword up and blocking several attacks from a single Lost. "I'm trying to go through the steps!"

"Just look at it and realize there's nothing more to it than dealing the blow!" Oliver directed, pushing the Lost back and swinging his hammer, striking its side and staggering it back. He'd then turn and block the next attack from the Lost behind him. He'd then shove the weapon to the side, his hammer glowing red with energy as he reared the weapon back heavily.

Stomping down, he'd swing with all his strength, the impact blasting the Lost off the nearby ledge and before it turned to ash. Following through with the swing, Oliver spun on his feet and raise the hammer up, slamming down on the Lost approaching him in the head. The monster collapsed immediately, its head caved in before it slowly burned away to ash.

"Easier said than done!" Heredis shouted, rolling past the Lost as his guard dropped, the Revenant panting as he felt exhausted from blocking so many attacks. Seeing the Lost stumble, he'd grip his sword and swing at it, landing a solid slash across its back. The Lost remained standing however, turning and slashing out at him.

Seeing the blade approach, Heredis attempted to block, managing to redirect the attack but losing his weapon as it was knocked out of his grasp. The Lost took a second to correct its posture, standing up and rearing its arm back for another swing. Not having an option, Heredis quickly configured his claw and catch the blade as it struck his shoulder.

He winced at the attack, but gritted his teeth and placed his hand against the Lost's chest over where the heart would be. Focusing his power, he'd see a white light form over his palm before a small projectile of ichor shot through the Lost. It's heart was destroyed, but the monster remained standing, albeit stumbling back from the damage. And in using the opening, Heredis would throw his claw forward, impaling the Lost through its entire torso.

As the Lost turned to ash, the Revenant felt a sudden flood of power, his breath returning to him instantly as the blood from the claw dripped. With his nerves calmed, his arm returned to normal, and he went to pick up his sword.

"See? Not too hard when you get the hang of it." Oliver encouraged, patting his shoulder as he walked to him.

"It takes a good bit, but I think I'm starting to figure it out." Heredis claimed, looking to his sword hand as he did. "I just need to get a better sword than this. It's too light, it feels wrong."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Oliver said, the two continuing with their search. "Just take things at your own pace. And don't get too picky with weapons for now, it might be awhile before you can get something that better suits your style."

"Easy for you to say, you're a natural with that hammer." The silver haired man claimed. "You took on three Lost at once, one with a bayonet shooting at you. You hit hard and can take a hit, that's a winning combo."

"I've also had more time to get a grasp of this. A few more fights and you'll get it. Just remember, don't let these fights go on. You get tired, the Lost don't. You recover fast but one with a good balance doesn't have to. You should be killing the average Lost within three to four hits."

"I'll keep that in mind." Heredis chuckled, the two pausing as they walked out of the structural passage to a cavern, the lake below glowing white faintly near the bottom. "I get the idea that water isn't good for a dip?"

"Best to just leave it be." Oliver said, the two shivering as they saw some of the lights blink before moving, getting the Revenants back on track and following the pathway of the cavern. "Think we're getting close to a bloodspring?"

"I can't say for certain. Maybe if I knew the likely locations they grew I could better guess, but this all is just rock, fungus and dormant Lost." Heredis admitted.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm sure we can't be that much further off from one." Oliver stated. "I mean, we're already lucky with all the tricks you can do, just finding one will be score us enough Blood Beads to last us for a while." Heredis chuckled, finding Oliver's enthusiasm infectious, as he couldn't help but keep his spirits high, even with the current situation they were in.

The pair walked through the cavern for a few minutes before turning a corner, stopping as they heard pained breathing across the opening. Looking ahead, they both saw a Revenant crouched on the ground, his breathes deep and agonizing as he held his left arm over his chest, his right resting in front of them and out of sight.

"One of ours?" Heredis questioned, finding the Revenant's Blood Veil familiar.

"Hey, you're right!" Oliver realized, running ahead. "He could be badly hurt!"

"Oliver wait!" Heredis called out, pausing in concern as the Revenant moved to check on the downed man.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked the Revenant, attempting to look around his shoulder to see if there was any damage. "It's alright, we're from the same group as you. We can help you, but we need to know if you were hurt."

The Revenant only continued to gasp in pain, his breathing increasing as his body began to shake, followed by his neck snapping to the side with a sickening crunch. He then moved his right arm as he turned to face Oliver, but the closer Revenant and Heredis staring in shock as the man's claw was already present. However his eyes were glowing bright red, a sickening growl erupting from his throat as he lunged at Oliver.

The Revenant shook the shock from his head, attempting to jump back to avoid being impaled. Although he did, his mask was chipped at it's only filter, the impact knocking Oliver across the floor and against the wall behind him.

"Oliver!" Heredis shouted in concern, his feet finding the strength to move as he rushed at the recently turned Revenant. The Lost was ignorant of Heredis, jumping again at Oliver in order to drain his blood, the thirst having become too unbearable to ignore anymore.

But just before it would reach him, Heredis swung his sword with both hands, getting between them and slashing across the Lost's entire torso. The blood erupted like a geyser, the pressure of the Lost transformation taking place causing the Revenant to quickly lose its life force and collapse onto the ground, its body turning to ashes shortly after.

"Hehe, told ya you could get a mean swing in." Oliver said with a bittersweet chuckle, coughing as he placed a hand onto his mask.

"Oliver, it's okay. I'm right here." Heredis said, kneeling down next to the downed Revenant. Taking a look, he saw the mask's filtration unit was leaking bad, the miasma clearly going through freely. "Damn, okay I think I have an idea. We have to be getting close to a bloodspring by now. I'm thinking if we swap my mask back and forth, we can avoid taking in too much miasma. Then when we get some Blood Beads and that should calm the blood thirst the miasma cause-"

"No, it's okay." Oliver said, holding a hand out to Heredis as he did. "We don't have the time to consider that, and the risk is too great to do that. And besides, blood thirst caused by miasma can't be quenched like the natural process. It would only be wasting Beads, Beads you need to get back to your friend."

"Oliver, you're not saying…"

"I'm just gonna... I want to get a little bit of rest." Oliver said. "It's been a good few days since I got any real sleep and I think about now would feel good."

"No, I can't just leave you. Here I bet I can handle the miasma if I take shallow breathes, take this for a bit while I-" Heredis reached for his mask and attempt to take it off, only to be stopped by Oliver as he grabbed his wrist

"No, get back to your friend. I know those kind of eyes she has, she needs you to look after her." Oliver argued, the smile evident in his voice as he looked up to Heredis. "You can't risk frenzying, not when you have someone to go back to. I'll just stay here. It's better this way."

"Oliver, you know what's going to happen."

"I know, but that's just nature taking its course. I made a stupid move, and now I'm paying for it. You were smart enough to wait, to hold off and measure the situation. But more importantly, your gifts are too important to lose. Reviving Mistles and getting Blood Beads to grow, that's something that can't be wasted. I'm just a guy who swings a big hammer, I think we both know who needs to keep his sanity in check."

"…" Heredis would look down in confliction, keeping a grasp on his mask as he thought it over. He was right, in terms of importance Heredis' abilities with Mistles and Blood Beads alone dwarfed the importance Oliver had. But Revenant was a good man with a strong arm, it wasn't a fair fate to let one mistake take his life. To damn him to insanity of being a Lost. But there were few options, and he had no idea what to do."

"…Do you want me to end it?" Heredis eventually asked, releasing his mask and bringing his hand down, Oliver letting go of his wrist in response.

"Nah, despite the forward assaults I do I'm actually afraid of dying." Oliver chuckled bitterly. "I got a bunch of medicinal supplies in my pouch. Take it, but leave the two syringes in the side with me." Oliver would say, reaching to his waist and pulling the pouch off him and handing it to Heredis. "There's two cloth bags in the main pocket. You can store the Blood Beads in them and get them to the surface."

"Thank you Oliver." Heredis said, lowering his head as he pulled out the two syringes, seeing a white fluid in them. "What do these do?"

"They'll knock me out cold. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll be too tired by the time I start transforming. If not, I'll at least be much weaker than without them. So if we run into each other again, you'll have a much better chance."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"You did more for me than anyone else." Oliver said, giving Heredis a thumbs up as the Revenant stood up. "More than you would ever know. Now go, get to Io. And find a way to get yourselves out of this mess."

"I will, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."

"Good luck." Oliver said, watching as Heredis wrapped the pouch around his waist and started to walk off. The Revenant was clearly struggling with the decision, evident as he tightened both his fists as he walked away. But his convictions remained solid, and he couldn't let Oliver's wishes for him to survive be for nothing.

As he stepped out of the opening they were in, he'd enter a narrow passage with a single Lost in it, turning when it heard his footsteps. Taking a deep breathe, Heredis readjusted his hand's grasp on his sword, loosening it a bit before getting into a stance that felt the most natural to him. Hearing the Lost grumble with its distorted voice, he aimed his sword at the monster, his eyes narrowing in determination as he readied himself.

"You'll pick it up as you go." He said to himself, the Lost pointing to him as it held its weapon to its side. Planting his feet, Heredis rushed towards the Lost, the monster returning the gesture as it ran forward and raised its blade up.

As Heredis and the Lost's blades clashed, a thought flooded Heredis' mind. Io wasn't with him, Oliver wasn't with him. He was now alone, having to fight against the Lost in the cave to get to the bloodsprings. He had to get to the bloodspring, he NEEDED to get to it. Failing to do so would spit on Oliver helping him in his early hours. And failing to get to Io would forsake both his and the woman's taken risks to get him here at this moment.

"I'm getting those Blood Beads!" He shouted, overpowering the Lost and knocking its sword arm to the side, slashing twice across the Lost's chest before slamming his foot down, gripping his sword with both hands before swinging up, slicing through the Lost's neck and decapitating it. "I'll get them no matter what!"

* * *

**(A/N): Surprise! This was one of the stories I was thinking on writing, and I will admit it was hard to stop myself from at least writing the first chapter. I was a fan of when Code Vein came out and the DLC brought me back with a passion. It brought back my enjoyment for the game and with a new set of challenges and reasons to play again it got my head thinking. Back when it came out I wanted to write a story, but I felt it would be too early and I didn't have a solid plan on what I wanted to do.**

**But now, the idea has come to me. I know what I have planned and I'm more than excited to get on it with the desire to demonstrate the world Code Vein gave us. There's plenty I have planned and I'm going to enjoy plucking at the story and throwing in the moments of interest I have in it. And I certain will have plenty to explore and work with in this wolrd of immortal Revenants and unholy deities.**

**But as it all goes, this is just the beginning. I hope you enjoyed this introduction and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace!**


	2. Losts

After leaving Oliver, Heredis had wasted no time and was moving through the cavern to search for a bloodspring. Following his first encounter with a Lost, he ran into a flux of the monsters, an entire area filled with at least ten. Knowing that running in was suicide and throw away his chances at getting Blood Beads, he looked around until finding a secondary path, seeing it go in a parallel path as the Lost.

Moving in, he stopped immediately as he saw a pair of Lost tearing their flesh into a corpse, a poor human who somehow managed their way down to this hell hole. The Revenant could do nothing to help the human, but he could do something about the Lost disrespecting their corpse.

Swapping his sword to his left hand, Heredis summoned his claw, feeling the power flow through him as he approached the Lost quietly. It wasn't until he was directly behind them that they registered his footsteps, but by then it was too late for the monsters.

Letting out a roar of anger, Heredis impaled his claw through the right Lost's back, feeling his power grow more while stabbing the left Lost with his sword. The one run through by his claw had immediately died, slowly turning to ash while the remaining Lost turned its head to look at the Revenant.

Seeing his glowing red eyes, it lifted its sword up in preparation to swing around and strike him. But before it did, Heredis ripped his claw through the defeated Lost and slashed through the other's head, cutting it into three pieces in an instant.

He then ripped his sword out from it's body, watching as it collapsed and turned to ash before letting his arm return to normal. He'd note that most of the Lost in this cave were similar, likely Revenants sent looking for Blood Beads before the miasma or bloodthirst overwhelmed them. And most of them lacked any sense of equipment, not a single one yet having defenses besides their enhanced skin.

_'If I can prevent too many from surrounding me, I should be able to outmaneuver and kill them quickly.'_ He thought to himself, continuing on his walk, tossing his sword back to his right hand as he did. He walked down the corridor of stone before stopping at a stalagmite. His eyes darted to the side in surprise before he ducked down, avoiding a Lost's halberd from cleaving his head off.

Rolling to his side, Heredis saw that the Lost's weapon was stuck in the stone he walked past, the beast focused more on getting its weapon than continuing to attack. Using the opening, Heredis lunged forward, slashing across the Lost's side before cutting up vertically. He finished by impaling through its side, hearing the bones crack before holding his hand out to his opposite side, firing a small bolt of ichor as a second Lost rushed him.

His bolt struck the Lost's head, its momentum causing the beast to get knocked back onto the ground. This gave the Revenant the time to pull his sword out of the Lost turning to ash and turn his attention to the ambusher, flipping the sword to hold it in a reverse grip before stomping on it's shoulder to pin it down.

Raising his sword up, Heredis showed no mercy as he plunged the blade through the Lost's skull. A single, slick crunch was heard, the mask and bone breaking from the force. The Lost twitched a few times before collapsing, a faint growl heard from it as it turned to ash.

Heredis showed little response to the monster turning to ash, rather simply continuing on his mission to find a bloodspring. As Oliver had said, picking up on the process of killing Lost was easy, the muscle memory involved having the Revenant almost going in a sort of autopilot with each encounter.

After a few minutes of traveling, Heredis came to the end of the path he had taken, carefully stepping to the end with his back against the wall. Looking around the corner, he saw that all the Lost were spread out, with one pacing in a patrol path close to where he was. But rather than attack it, he waited and see if it would simply pass by him and return without noticing.

As it stepped just into sight from the opening he was at, the Lost produced a low growl, looking to its sides as the crimson red eyes blinked in exertion. Remaining perfectly still Heredis watched carefully as the Lost's eyes trailed across the pathway he was on, glossing over him as it looked to its other side.

_'These ones don't have good vision.'_ He put together, watching as it turned and begin to walk away. He didn't doubt he could fight the beast, but with so many Lost in the area he didn't want to risk it letting out a howl and attracting the others to swarm him.

The Revenant waited until the Lost was far away enough with its back turned before taking off, running down the rest of the cavern section before exiting, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a big enough risk traveling on his own, but he was at least grateful at the ease it was to get past the group of Lost without alerting too many.

Once he was in the clear, he took a quick look of the next area he'd have to go through, seeing no Lost in the immediate area. He was about to move until he saw a few stones roll around the corner, having him ready his sword and quickly move around. But as a red blade came into his vision he stopped instantly, the sword stopping just short of his face.

"Oh, you're not a Lost." The man behind the red sword said, lowering his blade as he looked to Heredis. "My apologies, I heard rapid movement and assumed a Lost detected me."

"Well the same goes here, try avoid kicking rocks when there's over a dozen back where I came from." Heredis said, rubbing his neck as he looked to the man. He could easily pick up on the fact he was a Revenant, as a human likely wouldn't be able to carry the sword he held easily with one hand. He had a unique mask on as well, the red cylinders going out matching the color of his eyes. He was dressed formally as well, his clothes in excellent condition along with his Blood Veil.

"So that way's swarmed as well?" The Revenant asked. "Then we've caught a bit of a problem. There's a few Lost where I came from."

"So we're boxed in?"

"Well, getting out means only killing the Lost in the area. You say there's a dozen? Then maybe we could take them out in succession and move along?"

"I'm not going back that way, all it leads to is a dead end. I got kicked down, I didn't walk in willingly." Heredis stated. "What about your way? You had to of gotten in somehow."

"Yes, there's a way out. However there's a group of Revenants waiting there, and I can't risk running in to them. I believe they're a group who have been capturing other Revenants in order to hunt Blood Beads for them."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"You're one of them?"

"Lower the sword, I'm not here by choice." Heredis responded to the Revenant tightening his grip on his sword. "I was taken by them while I was unconscious, along with a woman wearing white clothes."

"They sent you down here alone to hunt? Was there no more of you?"

"A few were sent ahead of me, but they all are likely Lost or dead now." He answered, looking down as he recalled Oliver. "I was sent down with another but… his filter broke."

"So he sent you off." Getting only a nod in response, the Revenant scratched the metal of his mask, attempting to think of what the best course of action is. "Shot in the dark, you didn't find any Blood Beads yet, did you?"

"Learn I'm alone and that's the first thing you ask? Rather fishy don't you think?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"

"No, I don't have any Blood Beads.' Heredis interrupted. "I haven't even seen a bloodspring since I got kicked down here. What about you?"

"There's a bloodspring not far from where I came, but it appears to have been dried out for some time now, perhaps a month or two. As for Blood Beads, I only have one from my search before I came here." The Revenant admitted, pulling the glowing red fruit out of his pocket to show it as a sign of faith. "Do you have any bloodthirst? I can't offer the whole batch, but a few sips will do the trick."

"Keep it, my thirst was handled before I got here." Heredis stated. "But you said you saw a bloodspring here? Then we're going your way."

"It's dried out, there's no point."

"Perhaps a second opinion is needed before that."

"This isn't a scientific thesis, its dead."

"Oh just bring me to the damn bloodspring."

"Very well. Although we'll need to fight a few Lost on the way. Can you handle yourself?" The Revenant asked.

"I've killed a few by now, I'm rusty but I'm catching on quick."

"Good, I can fight most but I need you to distract a few so I can worry about the more dangerous ones." The Revenant said, turning back around to retrace his steps. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Two for two, I'm feeling good on this."

* * *

What the Revenant said was true, handling a portion of the Lost with relative ease. Heredis acted as support to prevent any from taking him by surprise, but the red blade was excellent at cutting through Lost flesh. It served to pierce through the taut skin like butter, most falling in one or two swings from the crimson sword.

It had Heredis question whether the sword was specifically designed for immense wounding or the Revenant was that skilled, perhaps both given his quick feet. Once the Lost ahead were taken care of, the Revenant took the lead as they climbed up a rusted ladder, helping pull Heredis up once he reached the top.

Once there, the two saw a crack in the ceiling of stone, light flooding in and filling the area. A bloodspring was at the center, and past it Heredis could see a Mistle as well, a sight he was more than happy to see.

"There's the spring, but like I said it's completely dried out." The Revenant pointed to the root tree, Heredis and him making their way down to it. "I don't know why you wanted to get to it, we won't get any Blood Beads from it."

"We'll see about that." Heredis commented as he took his mask off to bite into his wrist. Letting five drops stain the roots, the Revenant smiled in satisfaction as the familiar blue particles dispersed out from the bloodspring. As he put his mask back on, Blood Beads already started to grow across the branches and main body of the bloodspring.

"U-Unbelievable." The black-haired Revenant muttered in shock, watching in astonishment as the bloodspring was revitalized and grew multiple Blood Beads in a near instant.

In only a few minutes, Heredis counted roughly fifteen Blood Beads grow from the spring. Reaching into the pouch Oliver gave him, the Revenant took out one of the two bags and opened it. He then picked eight off from the bloodspring, tying the top off to secure the goods before tossing the bag to his compatriot.

"Hold on!" The Revenant spoke out as he caught the bag, fumbling with it before keeping a solid hold on it. "What was that?"

"There's fifteen Blood Beads, you did more work and found the bloodspring, so I figured you earned the larger amount." Heredis answered, taking out the second bag and getting his own batch of seven beads. "I only need six, but I think having an extra one will come in handy as to get on the others' good side. For now anyways."

"That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, I was just hoping you'd go for it." Heredis admitted, tying his bag off and hanging it on his belt. "Look, I don't know the full details. I woke up from what I assume is years of death and most of my memories are gone. I only remember bits and pieces, none about me specifically but rather what's going on. So I can't answer your question, because I don't know what the answer is."

"I see…"

"Yeah, bit of a lucky break though."

"I agree, to completely revitalize a bloodspring usually requires all the blood from a human. And that usually only produces four Blood Beads."

"The part about that that makes me sick is that if you know, someone did that." Heredis said, the two walking from the bloodspring. "Absolutely abhorrent."

"I'm glad we can agree on that. It's rare, most humans are kept in safety in return for small blood donations within the Provisional Government. However some of the more rough groups of Revenants manage to get their hands on a human. And if they aren't sacrificed for Blood Beads… they're treated like cattle."

"Bastards."

"An unfortunate part of our world." The two then stopped as they walked up a ramp, reaching the Mistle seen before. "I must ask, does your power only work on bloodsprings?"

"Your lungs are about to thank me." Heredis claimed, squeezing his wrist in order to get a few more drops of blood out before it closed, reviving the Mistle like he had before.

"Incredible, that explains why the Miasma was lower once I got close to where you were. You did this before didn't you?" The Revenant asked.

"Only once, I might have passed one on the way so the air isn't perfect. That's not counting the Lost in here either."

"Regardless this is astounding, this provides countless opportunities to everyone in regard to survival. There may be something else that you could even help with…" The Revenant trailed off, getting Heredis to raise an eyebrow.

"Wanna speak up on that last bit?"

"Oh, um… nothing right now. Just thinking out loud, it's a habit of mine."

"Riiiiight. Well either get that habit under control, or explain what you mean so you don't come off as shady." The silver-haired Revenant stated, the two beginning to walk again after their short rest to recover their regeneration. "So how many Lost is going to be between us and the exit?"

"A fair amount, I was able to stick to the shadows to avoid the bulk of them but with the both of us it may prove to be a bit more… difficult." The Revenant trailed off, a sudden vibration across the ground getting them to pause. "What was that?"

"Was there any big Lost on your path?"

"Only Executioner class, tough but they don't have enough brute force to cause those kinds of vibrations. That had to be breaking walls and structural components to happen. It must have been something new."

"Either way, I say we're overstaying our welcome. So we should get moving." Heredis stated, getting a nod from his companion.

"Agreed." He nodded before they began to run, the black-haired Revenant taking the lead and directing them in the right direction. "Something new definitely showed up." He said after a minute of running, the pair going past large splatters on the walls and floor massive holes appearing at certain points. "There was at least eight Lost here when I passed, and there wasn't nearly this much damage to the area."

_'It couldn't be… could it?'_ Heredis thought worriedly, seeing a familiar indent of a massive hammer in one of the walls with blood filling it. The pair continued running for a solid ten minutes, having to maneuver through recently destroyed terrain with loose footing. Aside from only one or two Lost survivors, they had made their way to a massive ramp-way without suffering an injury, both stopping at the corner as they heard metal clashing.

"There's a fight going on." The Revenant stated, attempting to get a view past the corner. "The surface is just past here, which means our mystery guest was ahead of us by a fair amount. The Revenants are likely fighting it now."

"Io…" Heredis muttered, his eyes widening in concern.

"What?" The Revenant responded, getting caught off guard as he was shoved to the side, Heredis' bag of Blood Beads falling as he rushed ahead up the ramp. "Wait, don't go! We don't know what's up there!"

"Io! Io I'm coming!" Heredis shouted in panic, hearing a man scream in agony as he reached the top of the ramp. He'd get there just in time to jump to the side; a body being smashed past him and down the incline. The Revenant's body then broke apart, turning into bright hazes after suffering too much damage.

He then turned back to the open territory, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Oliver hunched over, his hammer resting on the ground as his head twitched sporadically. A disfigured growth was forming on his head, spongy flesh breaking his mask and covering half his face. When Oliver turned, he revealed a set of jagged glowing spikes growing on the other end of his face, bright red eyes staring hungrily at him.

"Oliver, you already…" Heredis muttered out, his eyes being drawn to the two syringes that were injected into his arm. The fluids were empty, meaning he had got them in. But by the looks of it they were impaled deeper than before, meaning his transformation was almost immediate and he had shoved them violently into his arm.

"RAAGH!" With a husked roar, Oliver lunged at Heredis, the Revenant hesitant and stepping back in shock as Oliver swung his hammer forward.

The newly Lost was stopped however, as the black-haired Revenant's sword clashed with the overwhelming weapon, managing to deflect the attack before blasting Oliver with a burst of flames. The fire had managed to send Oliver back, the Lost rolling for a second on the ground before stopping itself, pushing up back to its feet.

"I assume that was your partner?" The Revenant asked, the look on Heredis' face being all the answer he needs. "I am sorry, but whatever feelings you had for him must be cast aside now. Once a Revenant becomes Lost, there is no turning back. You must cast aside all doubt, we have to fight him." He stated, getting into a combative stance as Oliver growled hungrily at them.

Heredis' focus wavered, seeing the now Lost Oliver fully weighing the impact of frenzying on the Revenant. But even then, he still thought of how the man was before the transformation; full of hope and excitement, and a willing teacher. All reduced to a mindless beast driven by his hunger alone. As much as he knew he had to, he didn't want to fight someone he would have called a friend.

But then his gaze moved to behind Oliver, the sight of Io on the ground getting his eyes to widen in shock. The woman was unconscious, unmoving as she had several marks and injuries on her arms and legs. Seeing her hurt, and in the area where Oliver was caused the Revenant's eyes to narrow in anger, swinging his sword as he lowered into his stance.

_'I have to get to Io. Which means I can't let anything stand in my way!'_ He thought, the Lost looking to him directly as he did. _'Not even if it's you.'_

_"Now go, get to Io. And find a way to get yourselves out of this mess."_

"Especially if it's you." Heredis claimed in solidarity, calming his breath as he looked to the Lost. It was now an obstacle, a foe who would stop at nothing to kill him again and again. So he had to view it in the same light, even as it shared the face of the man who helped him.

"Are you ready?" The Revenant asked, Heredis nodding in confirmation. "Good, then let's go!"

The Revenants then ran forward, the Lost letting out a violent roar as it swung it's hammer at the two in a wide arc. The black-haired Revenant swung his sword in retaliation, the two matching blows and leaving themselves open. Heredis then used the opening to slice across the Lost's chest, ducking under as it then swung in the opposite direction, suffering a cross cut on its back.

The two then jumped back in retreat as it slammed down, a burst of ichor going off around it in prevention of further damage. The two looked across to one another, their eyes narrowing in understanding before nodding, rushing the Lost from its opposite directions.

Heredis reached the Lost first, running past it as he slashed its back. The beast attempted to strike him, only for the black-haired Revenant to block it, using enough force to off balance the Lost. He then held his sword to his side, preparing himself before preforming three slashes in succession, cutting across the Lost's torso.

It stumbled a step back, but as the Revenant attempted to jump back it swung forward in a wide arc. Before it landed, Heredis lunged forward, blocking the polearm with his sword. He wasn't able to hold the force back, getting pushed back to where he skidded to a halt. But he recovered quick enough to get back into position, firing a bolt of ichor that struck the Lost's head.

His fellow Revenant then maneuvered around the Lost, sliding behind it to slash at its legs and get it to stumble forward. When it attempted to turn and hit him, Heredis cut at the back of its knees to stumble it forward. They both then turned and cut across its legs, dismembering the limbs and getting the Lost to fall onto its chest.

They then rose their swords to impale it through the back, but before they could the Lost released a massive shockwave of black and red blood, sending the two flying back, rolling across the ground before stopping themselves.

When they looked up, they'd see the Lost having mutated drastically. No longer appearing human, it had a massive stature, easily three times the size of the Revenants with a wide frame, its legs having grown back from the mutation. It's entire body was a grayish black, the muscles taught and expanded, now carrying its weapon with a single hand. The weapon as well even showed it had mutated, the metal twisted and jagged, the same mass of fungus growing at points of the weapon.

"He transformed into an Elite Lost?" The black-haired Revenant muttered, getting up to his feet as the Lost roared into the sky.

"Does it change anything?" Heredis questioned, pushing himself up with his sword.

"It'll be harder to cut through the skin, and it's going to hit a lot harder." The Revenant answered, getting into his stance. "No more blocking with your sword, avoid getting hit period."

"Got it."

Now ready for round two, the Lost started by turning to Heredis, jumping at him with its hammer raised. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the weapon before rolling again underneath it, a wide swing nearly taking his head off passing over. As it ended the swing, Heredis slashed at its leg again, cursing to himself when his weapon nearly bounced off it, only leaving a small cut.

Sliding to a halt, he turned and fire a bolt of ichor at the Lost's head, this time the beast simply shrugging it off as it turned to him. But before it could land a hit, the black-haired Revenant teleported in a flash of haze, slashing across and down its chest. The sword did more noticeable damage, but the two were forced to separate as the Lost began to slam its hammer everywhere in front of it.

The two ran around it and get to its back, Heredis readying another swing while the other Revenant held his hand close. Heredis then cut across the Lost's back, leaving a long but shallow cut that barely caused any bleeding. The beast turned back to swing, but was stopped as the other Revenant threw his arm forward and struck it in the head with a spray of five fire bolts.

"Holy shit, we can throw fire?" Heredis wondered, looking to the Revenant.

"I can, I'm unaware of what your Blood Code does." He responded, holding his spare hand over his sword, pulsing his ichor and summoning flames around his weapon. "It's just like firing your ichor bolt, focus on your power and see if you can increase your abilities."

Looking down to his hand, Heredis wondered what exactly the Revenant meant, but knew he didn't have the time and simply steeled himself. At that moment he felt a flood of ichor course around him, his hand glowing red for a second before vanishing. Unaware of what happened, he wouldn't have time to think on it as the Lost recovered and rushed him.

Ducking underneath a swing, Heredis side stepped around the Lost and slash at its side. The attack had done more damage than his last, blood actually coming out from the swing. Realizing that whatever had happened likely increased his weapon's effectiveness, Heredis slashed a second time, rolling to the beast's back as it attempted to slam down on him.

The second Revenant than jumped high and brought his sword down with both hands, cutting down its entire body and leaving a deep cut with fire spreading past it. The Lost screamed in agony, the torrent of red and black blood returning while the Revenants were still close. It then exploded out, knocking Heredis into a chunk of cement and the other Revenant far across the open area behind Io.

Both lost hold of their weapons, the Revenant's impaling into the ground next to him while Heredis' shattered, the metal unable to handle the wide impact. Heredis then collapsed to the ground, feeling his vision blink in and out as he hit the back of his head off the debris.

Although he could barely follow it, he could see the Lost ignore him and walk away, confusing him until his eyes eventually saw where it was walking to. Io was showing signs of regaining consciousness, the woman's eyes wincing as the Lost approached with its hammer in hand. Seeing the beast go for her, Heredis' focus returned immediately, and as he placed his left hand down, his blood and ichor began to flow up and around his mask, transforming it into a twisted visage of jagged snarling teeth.

When the Lost reached Io, it looked down to her with one glowing red eye, the other having been damaged by the black-haired Revenants last swing on it. The beast remained focused on her, its movements jarred as it almost appeared dazed. Fighting against the mysterious daze, the beast then raised its hammer up, ready to crush the woman and turn her to ash.

"RAGH!" Before it could it felt a blistering pain through its back as Heredis jumped onto the Lost, impaling his Blood Veil's claw into it. Feeling the ichor flow into him, the Revenant reached up and grab the Lost's shoulder, ripping his claw out to stab it in the opposing shoulder.

With the Revenant both stealing blood and causing damage, the Lost was backpedaling while attempting to reach back, its arm too short to grab at the assailant as he continued to drain it. Seeing nearby debris, the Lost quickly turned and slam its back into the wall, the impact causing the Revenant to cough blood into his mask. But he held on, ripping his claw out again in order to stab into its neck.

By now the Lost was howling in agony as it slammed him into whatever debris it could. But he still held on with all his strength, forgoing the pain as he pulled himself up. As he got himself up, the Lost eventually was able to reach him, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him over its front. But with the new power he drained from the Lost, Heredis felt his senses clear, allowing him to flip onto his feet and lunge forward, slashing his claw across the Lost's entire side.

Both the Lost and Revenant turned to each other, a moment of silence overtaking the area before their eyes glowed bright red and they let out rivaling roars of rage. Bringing its hammer for a wide swing, the Lost placed all its physical strength into the attack. Meanwhile Heredis prepared his clawed arm, infusing his ichor into it as he waited for the right moment.

Seeing the hammer just moments from hitting him, the Revenant swung his clawed limb out wide, colliding with the weapon and pulsing his ichor out. The enhanced power of his claw combined with his ichor proved enough even to best the beast, as the deflection caused it to lose grip of its hammer and send it to the side.

Now with it stunned and defenseless, Heredis swung his claw forward, impaling the beast directly into the gut. As it hunched over from the enhanced blow, he then held his left hand up, a red glow surrounding it as he aimed for the Lost's head.

"Now!"

In synch with his call out, the black-haired Revenant teleported directly over the Lost, his hand clutched shut as it was shrouded in fire. Both then fired their projectiles, the Revenant's fire blasting the back of the Lost's head while Heredis fired a bolt of blood infused ichor. The combined impact from their Gifts had caused a reaction, blood and flames exploding directly in the Lost's head.

Both Revenants panted as the Lost slowly turned to ash, Heredis' arm and mask returning to normal as he felt his strength leave his body. His partner however just seemed out of breath, the last attack having taken a good chunk of his ichor to fire.

"To think he would transform into an Elite Lost so quickly." The black-haired Revenant said, looking to the pile of ash. "Did he inject something into him before hand?"

"Sedatives of some kind… wanted to knock himself out." Heredis answered.

"Unbelievable, nothing can keep a Lost down. But at the very least, he seemed to have been weaker than the others. Even as a fresh one he went down relatively easily."

"You're… back." Heredis then turned to see Io open her eyes, the woman attempting to sit herself up.

"Hey, hey, take it easy." He stated, kneeling down next to her to help her, taking her hand in concern as he held her in a comfortable position. "Are you hurt? Did the Revenants do anything to you before the Lost showed up?"

"No, they didn't do anything. Although I believe they intended to kill you even if you came back with Blood Beads." Io answered. "I was struck by the Lost using an enhanced attack to kill several of the Revenants. I was not the main focus, so my injuries should be minimal."

"Still, you shouldn't push yourself." Heredis responded.

"Is this you friend?" The black-haired Revenant asked, getting a nod from Heredis as he looked over Io.

_'She said she was hit indirectly, but I don't see more than scratches on her. How can someone who seems so frail take so little damage from a hit?'_ The Revenant wondered.

"We'll stay for a bit until she is able top stand on her own. Once she's able we'll go somewhere safe, I have a hideout not too far from here. But if you revive the Mistle we'll be there in an instant."

"Alright, just give us a few minutes." Heredis said.

_"There's no choice. Without Blood Beads, we won't make it!"_

"Oliver?" Heredis heard the former Revenants voice, looking around in confusion before looking to the ash. At the center was a small purple and red crystal, glowing vilely with a blood red pulse throughout it.

"Careful, that's a Vestige." The black-haired Revenant warned. "Fragments of the Lost left behind when they die, anyone who touches them are consumed and become a Lost. Best to stay away from it while we wait."

Heredis had heard the Revenant's warning, but the longer he stared at the Vestige, the more the echoes of Oliver's voice could be heard. To the point it became enticing, enthralling, so much that his eyes began to glow a vibrant red. It was soon the urge had become too much, and the Revenant stepped from his position by Io, reaching his hand for the Vestige.

"What are you-!" The black-haired Revenant muttered, hearing Heredis' movement before turning to see him reach for the Vestige. "No!" His shout came too late, as Heredis grabbed the Vestige and held it up, looking at the stone for a second before dozens of shards shot out, impaling through his hand and reacting violently. "Let it go! It'll swallow you whole!"

"G-Gaahhh!" Heredis screamed in pain, the Vestige's vile presence slowly working up the Revenant's arm as the crimson in his eyes became more intense. His teeth were beginning to sharpen, going further than previously to be almost identical to that of a Lost.

"It's okay." As the Vestige's energy reached his shoulder, Io placed a supporting hand to his arm. She stared to him in comfort, certain that he could handle himself. "You can do it, keep your focus."

Heredis looked to Io in confusion, but seeing her golden eyes stare to him in confidence was enough for his vigor to return. Clutching the vestige tight in his fist, he looked to the crystal with determination. Forcing his ichor back against the Vestige, blue blood began to spread and overtake the ichor, replacing the red of his normal blood. Eventually the Vestige was being overpowered, and as the blue blood began to seep into it, Heredis' eyes glowed vibrantly, matching the intense blue of the blood.

As the Vestige was torn apart, a white light escaped it, spreading across the entire area as it cracked more and more.

"W-What the hell!?" The black-haired Revenant exclaimed in confusion, feeling the light pull him in.

* * *

The light continued to flood out until it shrouded all of them, forcing the Revenants to close their eyes when it became too bright. Once it was gone, Heredis was able to open his eyes, staring in shock as he stood up in an endless black void.

_**"****Please, just let us keep them this once!"**_ Hearing Oliver's voice, Heredis turned to the void, his eyes widening as he saw visages of the Revenant in front of two armored men, likely fellow Revenants as they held a bag of Blood Beads. _**"We won't make it without them!"**_

_**"****_A_ll Revenants must pay their levy in Blood Beads, there are no exceptions." **_ One of the armored Revenant's voices boomed out, putting Oliver in his place as he turned away.

_**"****_I_'m sorry."**_ The second Revenant said, remaining a second later before walking away, all three visages disappearing into the void.

_'What is this?'_ Heredis questioned, watching as debris amongst the void slowly formed into place in front of him, forming a pathway with lanterns for him to follow.

_**"****_M_ommy! Daddy!"**_ When he reached the end of the created pathway, Heredis saw another set of visages, a small child trembling in fear as Oliver approached. The kid's back was to a bloodspring, the Revenant's hand trembling as he got closer.

"_**I'm sorry… but sacrifices have to be made."**_ Oliver stated, raising his hammer up as there was doubt in his voice. _**"Without Blood Beads, we won't survive!"**_ Only the sound of crushing silence followed, the two visages vanishing as a single Blood Bead grew on the bloodspring. It then went away as well, and more debris created a further path for Heredis to follow.

Having to continue the trek, he followed the path that was being laid out for him. Each step he took slowly brought together more of the void, several flashes of visages going off detailing Oliver's life throughout his time as a Revenant.

_**"****_Y_ou yourself recognize that, don't you?"**_ Recognizing the voice of the lead Revenant from the group that captured him, he saw the latest set of visions had shown Oliver on his hands and knees, the Revenant standing over him on debris as he spoke. _**"All of the remaining humans are under Silva's control, and his levy hurts Revenants who can barely scrounge up any Blood Beads. Sacrifices must be made, regardless of who it is."**_

_**"****_Y_es… I see that."**_ Oliver's visage answered.

_**"****_T_hen you know what to do. A fresh batch of Revenants were scavenged together, find a fresh bloodspring and get us the beads we need. Which ever one you end up with, make sure they don't come back."**_

_**"****_I_ understand."**_

_'Oliver… what were you planning?'_ Heredis thought to himself, watching the visages vanish before continuing on the created path. As he looked in the distance, he saw a massive door form, but before he reached it one last visage appeared, Oliver sitting against the cave wall with the two syringes impaled into his arm.

_**"****_H_ehe, well… I guess you reap what you sow."**_ The visage laughed bittersweetly, his hand still wrapped around the syringes as he pushed the contents down. _**"But at least one of us will make it out of this. For once… I can feel that my suffering will help the people who need it. Not the Provisional Government, not scavengers, not Silva, but the Revenants who need those Blood Beads the most. Good luck Heredis, I'm rooting for you."**_

Seeing the visage bleed away, with a final scream of agony as the Lost transformation began to start within the Revenant. It got a more understanding look from Heredis, who remained staring out into the endless void for a minute. He had an understanding behind Oliver now, the Revenant having his up and downs in life, attempting to be a saint while being forced to be a sinner. He couldn't guess what exactly he was more like, a chunk of memories missing from even what he saw.

But he saw enough to confirm his thoughts on him. Oliver was a man born at the wrong time at the wrong place, being forced to work with Revenants that aimed to exploit others. He didn't want to do it, but he also followed the orders he was given. Until the time he gave it all up, he gave Heredis the chance to move forward, deciding that his life was more important than his own.

"It takes courage to embrace a fate like that, thank you Oliver." Heredis said, taking one last look at the empty void, walking up a forming staircase to the door as it opened, shinning an overwhelming light. "I promise, I'll make it worth it." As he walked through the door, the light overtook him, burning away the void as he continued moving forward regardless.

* * *

Heredis opened his eyes to see himself back in the open area where he had fought Oliver, looking at his now empty hand as the blue ichor was slowly retreating back into his arm. Around him, both Io and the other Revenant were where they were before, although the latter down on a knee from the sudden rush of light.

"That… what was that?" The Revenant asked, looking to the two as his vision cleared.

"A memory's shard, left from the Lost that was here before." Io stated, looking up to Heredis as she remained sitting. "It is what a powerful Lost leaves behind, giving sight to its past and restore what little balance it can have in order to pass on."

"You mean, it's dead? Fully dead?"

"Precisely."

"Such a power, it seems unreal." The Revenant commented as he stood up, looking down to Heredis. "How did you do that? Being able to dominate a Vestige is one thing, but you managed to pull us in as well."

"I… don't know." Heredis admitted, looking to his hand as he did. "It just sort of happened."

"Just like with the bloodspring and Mistle." The Revenant muttered, scratching his mask as he thought of what to do next. "Alright then, that definitely cements it."

"Cements what?"

"I would like to bring you back with me, I have something I want to test." The Revenant answered, holding his hand out to Heredis. "My name is Louis, I'm researching Blood Beads."

"Researching Blood Beads?"

"They've appeared ever since the Queen was defeated a decade ago, yet we know next to nothing. And as time goes on, they become more and more rare." Louis explained. "I want to find out what's behind the Blood Beads, and I feel you're my best chance at getting to the bottom of it. So please, I'm asking for your help."

"…What about Io?" Heredis questioned, hesitant in regarding Louis.

"She will stay with us, safe and away from any danger." He answered. "I promise you, we won't let anything happen to her. But we need you if we're going to get any answers."

"It's okay." Io said behind Heredis, getting the Revenant's attention. "I do not know why, but I feel that we can trust him."

"It's not about trusting him." Heredis muttered, looking to his arm and recalling the blue ichor. The power was a complete unknown, neither he nor Io had a full grasp of it. And now he was getting dragged in on some kind of expedition. He had no idea on what his powers really were, and now a Revenant was recruiting him to use it constantly.

But as he looked back to Io, his process of thoughts started to change. He had no idea on his connection to her, or even the purpose behind her search for him. But regardless of it he had become protective of her, an unknown task that he had developed in such a small window of time. He knew little on Louis, but she trusted him enough to believe his word. And if he was truthful, his headquarters would be the safest place for the woman in white, making it a simple answer for him.

"Alright Louis, I'm game. As long as Io is safe, you can trust me to help." Heredis stated, holding his hand up to accept Louis' offer.

"Thank you, I promise you this'll help change the world for the better. For everyone." Louis thanked, helping Heredis stand up as he did.

"I guess we'll see if that's the case."


	3. Preparation

"There's no end to it." Heredis muttered in disbelief. After accepting Louis' offer, the trio of Revenants had moved out, avoiding the main roads before reaching the headquarters of Louis group. The two newest arrivals hadn't met anyone present, Heredis having wanted to head for the open balcony to investigate the condition of the rest of the city.

What he saw was endless destruction, buildings as far as he could see either collapsed or in ruin. If it wasn't destroyed, the building would have massive spikes protruding out from them, the strange material appearing to be in the form of thorns almost. Even the building they were in now had one impaled near the base, another up higher which had likely caused the destruction that created the artificial balcony.

But what had Heredis' attention the most was the endless barrier of the Red Mist, an almost grid-like presence hidden within it. All around the city he saw the Red Mist remain solid, like a cage that was keeping them in. Like cattle.

"Ugly, isn't it?" Louis would ask, walking up to Heredis and Io as they stared out.

"One way of putting it." The Revenant responded, keeping his gaze out to the destroyed city as Io remained by his side. As he looked to the mist, a sense of nostalgia kept pegging at the back of his head, a familiarity to the presence that he just couldn't shake. And the more he thought of it, the more his mind attempted to shift to the Provisional Government he heard of, but the reason was far beyond him.

"Shortly after the Queen's defeat, the Red Mist spawned into existence." Louis explained, staring out to the crimson mist with disdain. "It's origin is completely unknown, but what can be confirmed is that it is comprised entirely out of concentrated miasma. Any Revenant, even with a mask, would frenzy instantly and become a Lost after inhaling it. Many had when trying to get out."

"So these have limits." Heredis responded, looking down to his mask in hand. Inside Louis' small base was a Mistle, surprisingly fresh and producing a large amount of the canceling agent to the miasma. It was strong enough that everyone didn't require the need of a mask, the air feeling the most natural it could anywhere else.

"Everything does, even the Blood Beads can't sustain us for too long. Not as long as drinking natural human blood would anyways." Louis stated. "Silva has all the humans kept in their own section in Vein, keeping them safe from other Revenants. But at the same time, he's imposed a levy that all within his territory must follow. At first it was manageable, a tax of a few Blood Beads early on appeared to have little impact on society as a whole."

"But then the bloodsprings started to dry out."

"They grew at times, but as time went on they would appear in more dangerous locations, more territory being taken by the Lost as the miasma spread. The ones that could be reached weren't producing enough Blood Beads, and as a result everyone's become desperate."

"As we don't operate directly under Silva, we're expected to pay the levy as well. However as we in a way focus on helping Revenants and keeping humans out of the less operable hands, our tax is cut down drastically." Louis detailed, him and Heredis looking to each other as they stepped away from Io, the woman looking somberly at the mist.

"And with what you've done, we have the opportunity to help multiple groups pay the levy and have a few Blood Beads to spare." He continued, referring to the fifteen Blood beads they had gathered. "That's more of a haul then anyone could claim to have gotten. And that's from a single bloodspring, which can now grow even more thanks to you. You really don't know how you managed to do it?"

"No, all I know is my blood managed to do it." Heredis answered, giving Io a passing gaze before going on. "If you want to thank anyone you should thank her. She found me and showed me that I could revitalize a bloodspring. I worked on that hunch to figure out that I can revive a Mistle too."

"I see, I suppose I should give her my thanks." Louis hummed. "But right now, there's some things I need to go over. With your permission, I'd like to run some tests on you."

"Tests of what nature?"

"Nothing bad, I just need a few samples of your blood." Louis answered. "I saw you enhance your physical attacks, most likely from your Blood Code. But you also managed to use a bolt of ichor and even a Blood Bolt after you drained enough from the Lost. A physical enhancement and Blood Gift don't often coincide unless the enhancement was of similar nature. I wish to look into that, as well as see what I can see about what allows your blood to revitalize bloodsprings."

"…No needles."

"An immortal afraid of needles?" Louis laughed. "If so, I'll need to get a fresh cut on you. If you would hold out your left arm." Following the order, Louis would hold onto his arm before pulling out a knife, slowly dragging it across his wrist to produce the blood. Then pulling out an empty Blood Bead, he'd fill it with its contents until he had enough, allowing Heredis to pull his arm away as it began to heal.

"Anything else you need?"

"No, this should be enough for me to get the data I need." Louis stated. "It should take some time to find anything, so how about you and your friend rest until then? You two certainly deserve some after the day you had."

"Maybe, but I think I need to fix myself up first." Heredis said, placing his hand over his damaged Blood Veil. "I don't have any weapon, and I think this thing's starting to see the end of its days."

"Good point." Louis agreed. "Here, how about I bring Io to one of our spare rooms for her to get some sleep? And while I do that, you talk to Murasame and Coco on getting some new equipment and clothes?"

"Who?"

"Our smith and trader, they're inside." Louis motioned with his thumb. "Coco has a stash of goods that she normally stays by. Murasame is usually around her workshop, if she isn't she's probably in the hot spring in which case, leave her be."

"Why?"

"She enjoys bathing, she doesn't like getting dragged out unless it's important."

"Alright… noted, I guess?" Heredis said, partially confused at the information before turning to Io. "Hey Io, I have some things I need to do. How about you get some rest while I take care of it?"

"Are you sure?" The woman would ask, turning to him.

"Yeah, I should be good for the time being. You're still tired from finding me, so I want you to get some sleep. Can you do that?"

"If that is what you wish."

"The rooms are just ahead in the hall to the right, I'll show you." Louis offered, motioning for Io to follow him. The woman would hesitate, looking to Heredis as she pondered. When he nodded once, she would follow, her eyes staring at the Revenant from the side as she did.

Once she was out of sight, Heredis would sigh in exhaustion, cracking his neck as he looked down to his armored arm. "Guess we're getting you replaced. You served me well the past hour." He said, running his spare hand over the metal before walking back into the building.

Taking a second look, he had quickly noticed a lot of what he hadn't when he first entered. Despite the exterior damage, the inside was far from anything disappointing. To his left was a variety of furniture, candles and even a jukebox, the room lightened by candles. There was also a map with countless markings across it, likely Louis' based on the information across it. There was also surprisingly a bar, filled with several types of alcohol, however a large portion of the beverages appeared to be more refined Blood Bead formula, getting an interested hum from the Revenant.

He had also seen the workshop, seeing a wide selection of weapons and masks present, and a young girl working behind the desk sharpening Louis weapon. There were several others present inside he noticed, a woman taking stock beside a large collection of boxes and packaging, all kept in a car that appeared way behind the times. There was also two other men present, one in full body armor working on a motorcycle while the other sat on one of the sofas, his eyes following Heredis the entire time.

Not wanting to cause a scene, the Revenant would ignore the second man and head for the workshop, seeing the girl apparently finish up her work on Louis sword just before he did. She didn't appear old, meaning she likely was turned into a revenant at a young age. Aside from her light attire, she had on a modified mask, confusing him since the air was just fine but he wouldn't question it.

"Um… hello?" He would speak up when he reached the desk, the girl looking to him as she put Louis' sword to the side.

"Oh, you're one of our new arrivals!" She responded in an upbeat tone, her face obscured but a smile present in her voice. "My name's Rin Murasame, what's yours?" She'd ask, holding her hand out to him from the desk.

"Uh… Heredis." He answered, shaking her hand once. It was for only a second, but he was caught off guard by the girl's solid grip, likely from working with as many weapons as she had.

"Pleasure to meet you Heredis, been a rocky past few hours hasn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Yeah, the whole city's full of crazy stuff. But luckily out of all of it, we managed to pull you out." Rin stated. "The amount of Blood Beads you brought in was incredible, I was beginning to think all the bloodsprings were drying out before that haul."

"_Sadly you might not have been wrong…_" Heredis muttered to himself. "Sorry, I'm a little discombobulated and things have been thrown at me back and forth ever since I woke up from dying. So I'm not too much in the talking mood."

"No, no, I understand. Louis mentioned you've likely been out for around ten years." Rin responded, waving his worries away. "That does quite the number on us, so don't worry about it. But with that aside, I'm guessing you're here about getting your hands on a new weapon and Blood Veil?"

"Yeah, Louis said you would be able to equip me with something?"

"Oh trust me, I can do more than just equip you with something." The grin under the girl's mask could practically been heard, as she stepped into the safe door that led into her workshop, disappearing for a few seconds. When she got back, Heredis nearly jumped in shock as she planted several weapons across her desk, the metal clanking against each other before she started to push them out.

"The only question is what kind of weapon you want?" Rin questioned. "I got everything you'd want: one-handed swords for quick and reliable damage, bayonets if you want to try things from a distance and pick your targets. Or are you more of a spear/halberd guy and want a good reach without sacrificing damage? Or would you, dare I say, skip the pleasantries and skip right to the overwhelming pressure of a hammer or greatsword?"

"You carried all of these yourself?" Was the only question Heredis could come up with, looking between the dozen weapons sprawled and the girl in front of him. Aside from a single sword or bayonet, he figured everything there was at least her weight, the greatsword and hammer likely twice as heavy even.

"Hehe, I may only work with the weapons, but I am still a Revenant." Rin stated, patting her bicep as she gave a smile by closing her eyes. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"Yeah… no kidding." He said, looking between the weapons with interest. While he didn't recall having any experience with one, seeing the hammer made him initially consider it. But a quick recollection made him decide against it, wanting a heavier weapon than his old one but not looking to turn the Lost into paste.

Sliding his fingers over the bayonet, Heredis would pass on the rifles entirely, although humming in respect as when he grazed the blade it left a decent cut. Reaching the swords, he'd look between the two that were currently present; a broadsword with a decent width blade and a sword similar to the one he took from the Lost's body.

Although he felt the Queenslayer Blade was more recognizable to him, the lack of an effective punch to it made him instead reach for the broadsword. Grabbing the hilt, he'd lift it up with ease, although the Revenant took note of the greater weight behind it. Rolling his wrist, he'd take note of the balance he had before taking a quick swing to his side, feeling his footing remain strong.

"That's a good look." Rin said, watching as Heredis got back into a regular stance, placing the sword on the desk. "We have a winner?"

"Yes, it works great." Heredis answered. "How much do I owe you for it?"

"Well, you brought back a bunch of Blood Beads, so let's say those will be payment for your weapon and new Blood Veil?" Rin offered, winking as she did. "I don't normally make these deals, so keep this between us?"

"Sure…" He'd say, although chuckling as he did.

"And now the important part, what kind of Blood Veil are you looking for?" She'd question, checking out the damaged one he had on. "I can tell that's an Ogre-Type, but I don't know if you're looking for something different."

"How many are there?"

"Only four; Ogre, Hound, Stinger and Ivy. They're all different, but in the end they're your best bet at draining blood from the Lost to increase your ichor. A quick rundown, Hound-Types summon these giant dog heads from the sleeves, so best not to where them normally. Stingers summon a sort of bladed tail, good for piercing enemies at medium range or providing a quick offensive follow up. And Ivy is a more ranged specialty, it's the same kind your lady-friend was wearing even. The scarf that runs down can burrow into the ground and summon a boat load of blades that can impale your enemy from behind. It's the slowest, but oh can it do damage when you get it in your opponent."

"Interesting." Heredis hummed, rubbing his chin as he thought it over. "I'm not too versed in everything, but do you have anything that can act as a proper coat? I'm guessing we're going to go all over the place and it'd be best to have it."

"Ah, I got just the thing for you then." Rin promised, bending down to reach under her stand before standing back up, placing a folded-up coat on it. "This is the Midnight Sun Spear, it's a Stinger-Type Blood Veil, but it should go well with the terrain in general around here."

"Thank you."

"Why not leave your old Blood Veil here? It looks like it's seen the end of its days." She recommended. "It doesn't have a lot to it, but I could use it for spare parts to make a new one or maybe transfer the material into a weapon."

"You can do that?"

"You can do a lot with just a good handful of haze."

While he didn't get it himself, he left it to that he simply wasn't as versed in handling weapons and Blood Veils. So searching on his Veil, he'd find a zipper hidden near the middle and pull it up. Taking off the armor, the Revenant would hear Rin whistle in approval, getting him to look down and see large tears in his shirt. Aside from the visibility of his chest, there was also a fair share of scars across him, damage he had suffered before becoming an immortal creature.

"Wow, something certainly gutted you." Rin commented as Heredis put his Blood Veil down. "Was it something you said?"

"You'll be the first to know if I ever figure it out."

* * *

"Well then, you're all set on the equipment end." Rin spoke, watching as Heredis did one last check on the Blood Veil before folding it again.

"I appreciate the help, and for giving me the equipment without having to pay." Heredis thanked, looking to the smith as he did.

"I'm guessing you'll be talking to Coco next, right?" She asked, getting a nod from the Revenant. "She should be able to get you some new clothes, and maybe even some vaccines for your next trip. Although I'll warn you, she'll make you pay unlike me."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said before grabbing his Blood Veil. He had decided to not put the coat on for now, rather simply carry it with him until he knew where to put it. And with his business done, all that was left was for him to see what Coco had to offer.

"Well, Louis certainly knows how to pick a stranger." Before he could even get close, Coco had already spoken up, looking over to the Revenant as she leaned against the dismantled muscle car. "Let me guess, he found you near bloodstarved in the collapsed capitol grounds, where he just had to give you a Blood Bead and you vowed to help him for the kind deed?"

"That's a rather fairy tale way of imagining meetings, isn't it?" Heredis responded, tucking his Blood Veil underneath his arm when he reached the merchant.

"Yeah, but it also helps see how much a Revenant remembers." She shrugged. "Since you know what a fairy tale is, I guess you at least have the basics of being a human in your head. Got anything outside of that?"

"Not a lot, I see those Thorns of Judgment a lot, followed by a bunch of flashes of faces I don't even recognize. And blue eyes, glowing blue eyes that looked to be… to be…" Heredis' head would then spike in pain, placing his free hand over his left eye in order to try and numb out the pain. "Damn it, where did the eyes even come from!?"

"Whoa there, take it easy. If it hurts that much then your memory's too fractured to recall it." Coco informed, watching as the man panted while nursing his headache, keeping an eye on him until he showed signs of recovering. "There, see? Better not to dwell on it too much. If you remember it, it'll come to you."

"Thanks for the advice." He grunted, hitting the side of his head to get the small bit of pain out.

"Comes with working with Revenants for so long, most lose big chunks of their memories. Davis over there doesn't remember anything about his life as a human." She mentioned, motioning to the armored Revenant by the motorcycle. "He even forgets a lot of his days as a Revenant, so I know a few tricks about recollection withdrawal."

"Ever deal with it yourself?"

"Not often, I got most of my memories up here." She said, tapping the side of her head. "But you're not here to learn about me, what did Louis promise you from me?"

"He didn't promise anything, just said that it'd be smart to get some supplies from you."

"Ah Louis, he's starting to learn." Coco chuckled. "Yes, I'm the merchant for this merry bunch of Revenants, I have good connections in the Provisional Government and other groups around Vein. You need something, I can get it."

"Know where I can get a change of clothes?" Heredis asked, getting a nod from the woman.

"That much is easy, there's a few outfits I got on hand." Coco said, walking to a nearby crate and opening it. "Take your pick, you won't be charged any more for what you choose."

Looking among the clothes available, Heredis would go for a dress shirt with added cloth going down his back, putting the new shirt on while removing his destroyed shirt. Once it was on, he'd look to see the unique design, the red and black decals fitting well despite the appearance of the Revenant.

"Sorry if everything has a little too eccentric of a design, people these days want to make every outfit special as if it was their last." Coco explained, noting his apparent stare into the weirdly designed clothing.

"No, no it's fine. Red and black just seemed a little interesting, the design's pretty good actually." Heredis admitted, moving his arms to test his maneuverability in the new garb. After seeing it go well, he'd look to the merchant before asking another question. "Odd out of place request, but you wouldn't happen to have any women's clothing would you?"

"In the size of that woman you came here with? No." She answered, knowing what he was going to ask right away. "But I can see if I can get my hands on something, anything in particular?"

"Whatever she's comfortable with, I'm not great at that stuff."

"Smart move, anything else?"

"Got anything that's good for getting you out of a pinch?"

"A few antidote tonics, Ichor containers, and even a wonderful drug that kills you without the risk of destroying your heart. Your choice." The woman listed off, opening her hand to surprise him with several injectors appearing in her palm.

"How about just one of these for now." He said, taking an injector with a strange purple liquid in the casing.

"Not sure how many things are poisonous, but it's smart to go light for now." Coco stated, letting him take the injector before placing the other items back in place. "Now then for the payment."

"Right… what exactly do you take?"

"Hold your right hand out." Coco would state, confusing the Revenant.

"Okay… then wha-!" Before he could finish speaking, Coco would grab Heredis' hand before a bright golden glow ignited between them. Seeing the light caused him to pull back, the merchant releasing him willingly as he stepped back in panic. "What the hell were you-!?"

_*******CLICK***_

"Watch it." In the midst of getting into a defensive stance, Heredis froze in place at the sound of the hammer of a pistol get pulled back, looking to his side to see the red-haired Revenant pointing the gun at him.

"Calm down Yakumo, he's just confused." Coco responded to the Revenant's action, attempting to defuse the situation before turning to Heredis. "All I did was drain a bit of the haze you possess." She explained, the glow in her hand forming into several small shards in her palm. "Haze is the currency these days between Revenants, and it's absorbed when Lost are turned to ash."

"A little warning next time, I damn near had a heart attack." He breathed out. "So is he gonna…?"

"Yakumo, put the damn gun away." Coco stated more harshly. "He's not going to do anything; I just did my usual trial by fire. Get the worst out so he knows how haze transfer operates."

"…I'm with him on that much, a warning would be helpful." Yakumo would say, holstering his pistol as he turned to walk away. "I'm keeping a close eye on you, until this talk with Louis is over I'm watching you like a hawk."

"Noted." Heredis groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to Coco. "Is he normally like that?"

"Only with Revenants he feels could be a threat." The merchant stated, putting a hand to her hip. "I'm sure once your blood is tested and your chat with Louis is settled he'll be more trusting. He's just very protective is all."

"I guess I should count myself lucky he's quicker to draw then to pull the trigger." He sighed. "Today's just packing on more and more."

"You look really out of it, maybe you should get some rest yourself." Coco recommended, pointing to the hall right behind him. "The bedrooms are all there, we don't usually sleep at the same time so feel free to pick any of the rooms still open."

"Thanks, I guess a little sleep wouldn't hurt." Heredis agreed, picking up his Blood Veil and walking back. "If I'm not awake by the time Louis' tests are done, someone wake me up."

"Oh trust me, he'll be the first to get to you." Coco chuckled, watching as Heredis entered one of the unclaimed rooms and left the door open. "All kinds of weird Revenants these days."

"You really are quick to trusting him, just as much as Louis." Yakumo stated, sitting back at the couch while looking to the blonde. "What if he's a part of one of those raider groups that try and kidnap humans?"

"Then he A. picked the worst place to try getting one, and B. inspired a faithful follower like that girl to show deep concern. And I know Stockholm Syndrome when I see it, that girl's looking at him like he's her responsibility."

"Doesn't change we know next to nothing about him. What if he just "forgot" it for a bit and will remember as time comes? Then what?"

"Then we destroy his heart and let the BOR Parasite rip itself apart. But I think we both know that won't be necessary." Coco stated, smirking over to the boy. "Besides, I don't want to have to do all your dirty work. Next time you want to convince everyone in the room you're gonna shoot, leave the magazine in the gun."

"Ah you're just upset it worked." Yakumo chuckled, sighing as he leaned back. "Guess we just… sit and wait. Not like we haven't been doing that for the past three weeks."

"I'm sure you boys will have plenty of adventuring to do, so enjoy your rest while you can."

* * *

_"BOR Parasites? I don't know where you two come up with these names."_

_"Hold up, you got it to work? That's great!"_

_"No, you don't get it! He's not interested in using your work to help with medicine! He wants to make weapons!"_

_"Aurora, I've tried hard to keep him away from this. I don't care what offer is made, if you give him the BOR Parasite to create Revenants we'll have worse problems on our hands."_

_"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know it hurts, but you don't need to worry. Your big brother's here, I promise you'll be okay."_

_"It's okay, it's okay. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. It isn't your fault."_

_"Welcome back to the world of the living Heredis, Hell was waiting for you."_

_"Protect your hearts! If she destroys it that's the end for you!"_

_"Please…"_

_"Rest well, friend."_

* * *

"Gah!" Heredis sat up as his chest spiked in pain, clutching over his heart as random visions of faces he couldn't put names to burned in his mind. Gasping for air as the pain shocked him awake, he wouldn't react as Io place her hand on his arm, the woman sitting on the side of his bed.

"It's alright, it was just visions." She spoke, watching closely as Heredis' breathing calmed down.

"Io?" The Revenant panted, looking over to the golden eyed woman as his eyes pulsed red. "What are you… doing here?"

"I felt you were in pain, so I came to watch after you while you rested." She answered. "You were moving a lot in your sleep, the visions spiking the damage to your heart."

"Damage to my heart? But I thought Revenants can't survive their heart being destroyed?" He questioned, looking at his chest.

"Correct, but some can survive significant damage, although it will take a long time while conscious to fully heal." She explained, keeping her hand on his arm to comfort him. "The visions were intense; did you recall anything?"

"Just a few faces, and… a name." He said, placing his hand over his face as his eyes slowly dimmed back to their natural blue. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours. It's still light out." Io answered.

"How about you, are you feeling any better?"

"I have rested long enough, I feel fine."

"Good, good." Heredis nodded, shaking the daze out of his head before turning to sit on the side of the bed alongside the woman. "You know, I realized I hadn't asked since I've been trying to process everything going on, how are your memories doing?" At his question, Io would tilt her head in confusion, getting him to point to the side of his own head. "You know, I lost a lot of my memories. Have you lost any?"

"My memories…" Io would mutter, looking down to her hands as she folded them on her lap. "I do not recall much of my life, I believe most of my memories are gone as well. All I know is… that I had traveled far and long to find you, and that finding you was my goal."

"To find me?" He'd echo, before looking to see the rugged bandages on her left leg and arm. "You were hurt before?"

"While finding you, I was attacked by a few of the Lost. I am not a very capable fighter, I was injured and found the wrappings to cover the wounds." She detailed, looking to the wrappings around her arm.

"Well maybe you're not a fighter but you certainly have some strength to you." He said, recalling to her easily stopping the Revenant thug from striking him when he was knocked to the ground.

"Maybe… but strength isn't useful if I can't use it to protect you."

"Well, the important thing is that we're together I guess." Heredis said, smiling to the woman as he did. "Neither of us remember our pasts, random gifts we have no idea of where they come from, and a desire to protect each other. I'd say that's a good enough situation for me."

"…Me too." Io nodded in return, looking up to him with a faint smile.

"Heredis, are you up? I found something interesting about your…" Louis would begin to say, stepping into the room to see the tender moment between the two Revenants. "Um… is this a bad time?"

"No, no you're fine." Heredis sighed, standing up as he turned to the black-haired Revenant. "So, you found something?"

"Yes, I've been studying your blood and found an anomaly within it. Rather, something that makes sense, but I wasn't expecting." Louis detailed. "Could you follow me out? We'll need to talk on more of this after I go over your blood type."

"Sure." The Revenant responded, helping Io up before the three walked out. "So what about my blood is so interesting?"

"From what I've found, your blood seems to have a familiar trace to that of the medicine created by the Queen's blood during Operation QUEEN." Louis explained, keeping a slow pace with the two as he did. "It could be from exposure; you've been dead a long time and may have had a few drops soak into your ashes during that time. But that wouldn't explain how you were able to inherit it."

"Which I'm guessing is where my blood type comes into play?"

"Precisely, see we Revenants don't have the same kind of blood types as humans do, rather Blood Codes that allow us to use our gifts. As I said before, you used two separate abilities that together shouldn't be possible. And after my tests I'm led to believe that you are a Void-type. Your Blood Code is… well it's broken. The damage to your heart likely fractured your power, and in doing so you don't technically have a Blood Code anymore. But because you're a Void-type, you can take in another Revenant's power, perhaps the powers you have come from several Revenants who bled near your ashes, much like the QUEEN medicine."

"A Void-type…" Heredis muttered, looking to his hand. "How would we know if that's true?"

"Well simply…." Louis started, pulling out a knife and digging it into his wrist. "I give you some of my blood. If you really are a Void-type like my research points to, then you'll absorb my Blood Code and have my Gifts. Even just a drop of my blood should do the job."

"So I'm guessing just drink some of it?" At Louis' nod, Heredis would cup one of his hand's under the Revenant's wrist, letting a few drops of his blood drip into his palm before drinking. When the blood went down, the silver-haired Revenant barely felt different, just a small heat going down his throat to follow the blood.

"Anything?" Louis asked, prompting Heredis to hold his hand out towards the opening in the balcony. He'd attempt to produce the same Flame Gift he saw Louis preform, but not a spark would come out.

"Nothing." He responded. "I don't feel the same when I used my Blood Bolt, but I don't feel any sparks being made by me."

"That's alright, learning a Gift takes time. It'll likely be trial and error for you to figure out which of my Gifts you can currently use. And if not, then it stands to reason you have a complex Blood Code."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Good. With that settled, I'd wish to talk to you about our operation that we're doing." As the two walked up the lounge, Heredis would notice Yakumo standing behind one of the couches, leaning on its back with an apple in hand. A quick gesture between the two gave the clear reference that now Yakumo's focus was at it's highest, meaning one small slip could spell problems for him.

"When you entered the Vestige, we were exposed to scenes involving that Revenant's life." Louis would say, stopping in front of the map with dozens of markings across it. "It's becoming a far more frequent problem. With Silva taking the humans under his protection, Blood Beads are Revenants' only reliance to slake their endless thirst. But as you already know, the bloodsprings are running dry."

"Silva's levy and distribution system won't last much longer, not at the rate we're going." He continued, taking out a small Blood Bead as he spoke. "Vein needs more Blood Beads, if we can then fairness can better lead the system, rather than petty favoritism. It's why we've been exploring the Gaol of the Mists, getting close to the Red Mist as possible. But the miasma is starting to get worse, the amount is increasing the thirst more and is stalling our progress."

"But now, we may have a chance to get past that. Your blood, the power you have, managed to rejuvenate bloodsprings and Mistles to clear the miasma. If you could help us…" The Revenant would then hesitate, his grip tightening on the Blood Bead as he did. "Well, you'd be dragged into constant battles with the Lost again, some that will be leagues above what your friend turned into. But I'll be honest, there isn't a lot of hope in our plan without you. It's a lot to ask, especially since you've only just woken up, but will you join us?"

"…" Heredis remained quiet, recalling back to what he had seen in Oliver's Vestige. Someone like him, a Revenant with a good head on his shoulders, was forced to horrible acts in order to just procure a few Blood beads. And if the situation was common, it became a dark reflection on how things have fallen. But at the same time, his focus went back to Io, joining this mission could drag her into the fray. Oliver's Lost transformation was a challenge to fight, but not impossible. But if what Louis said was true, then there's likely dozens like him, and maybe more that are even stronger. He could protect Io against one, but what could he do against more?

"Io is protected, without any arguments." He eventually spoke up, holding his hand out to Louis. "If you promise me, right here and now that Io will be safe here, I'll see what I can do to help your mission."

"You have my word that nothing will harm her." Louis answered, accepting the deal and shaking the Revenant's hand in return. "Thanks, I don't like admitting the situation we're in, but we truly do need your power. You can help save possibly every Revenant in Vein, maybe the world if we can get past the Red Mist."

"One step at a time, let's first figure out how to get more Blood Beads and stop any unnecessary sacrifices."

"Agreed."

"So, it's a done deal then?" Yakumo would speak up, shifting the apple in his hand before pushing off the couch. "Well then! From now on, you're one of us." He then tossed the apple at Heredis, the Revenant catching it with his left hand before recovering to see Yakumo standing right in front of him with his hand extended out. "Yakumo Shinonome. I'll be looking forward to seeing you in action."

"…Just be sure not to point your gun in my general direction." Heredis responded, shaking his hand with an uneased expression.

"Eh, don't give me a reason to and you're good. I'll trust Louis' judgment on you, but until I see firsthand that you're on our side I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Then let's get right into it." Louis said, smiling for a second before getting straight to business. "As you know we're studying Blood Beads and their springs. We want to know how and when a bloodspring grows, how many Blood Beads in a certain amount of time can they bare, and the composition of the beads themselves."

"I assume you've been at this for a bit, is there anything to work off of?" Heredis asked.

"We've discovered that underneath the ground there are these strange capillaries running through the earth, much like how our bodies has blood veins." He explained. "And with every past discovery of a dried bloodspring made, we can conclude that bloodsprings all grow on these blood veins."

"And according to Louis, Blood Beads and these veins are made up of almost identical material. Although whatever flows through the veins appear to be drying up." Yakumo added in. "But if they have the same substances, then there must be a common source. Somewhere that is like a headwater for Blood Beads."

Looking at the map, Heredis could see that the bulk of the marks all seemed to go in a patter, with each having an X at some point to mark a bloodspring. And while they were all over the place, they certainly did have some kind of pattern to them. They grew less frequently the farther the veins went, and although it couldn't be pinned where the veins start since some all have different directions and growth patterns.

"And now that we have you, we have a whole line of bloodsprings we can get to and follow these veins." The redhead added in. "And with any luck, we'll find the source and get enough Blood Beads that no one will have to worry about bloodthirst again."

"We'll want to head out to the old city ruin first, we have two known bloodsprings we'll want to investigate." Louis detailed, pointing to two markings that were circled. "One is on the surface; this is the safest one and the first goal we have. The second is in a sinkhole near the center of the city, we'll head there afterwards. And hopefully we'll find the source while procuring enough Blood Beads to keep the system in balance long enough to fix it."

"I'm sorry to do this, but we'll want to move out as quick as possible. So if you wouldn't mind, we should head out right away. Are you rested enough?"

"Yeah, I'm good now." Heredis nodded.

"You're leaving?" Io asked, looking up to him as she did.

"Only for a while, I'll be back so don't worry." He'd say, gently patting her shoulder as he did. "We just have some searching to do."

"…I should come with you. You'll be in danger."

"Absolutely not, you're still injured and I refuse to let you go."

"You don't need to worry, we're moving in a group so he won't be alone." Louis promised, attempting to ease her worries. "You should get some more rest and recover, you seem well but it's best to take things slow."

"But…"

"Hey, it'll be fine." Rin would say, surprising the group as she walked up behind Io and placed her hands on her arms. "Louis and Yakumo are really strong, Heredis will be just fine. Heck, even out there he'll be safer than in here with only one combative Revenant. He'll be okay." The blacksmith guaranteed, looking to the group as she closed her eyes to signal her smile. "Don't worry, I'll look after her while you're gone. She's safe with me!"

"…Thank you, Murasame." Heredis would say, giving a grateful smile in return.

"Alright, with that settled let's get you relaxed!" Rin would beam with excitement, bringing Io along as she walked away from everyone. "I know exactly what you need, a long dip in the hot spring! That'll melt the worry off right away!"

"Be careful." Io would say, looking to Heredis one last time before willingly following Rin.

"Okay everyone, gear up." Louis ordered. "Let's see what we can find."

"Right!"

"…Right."


	4. Human Search

"I gotta hand it to you Louis, I was beginning to think that all the bloodsprings left were deep in the miasma." A Cerberus trooper admitted, speaking to the Revenant as a group of fellow troopers went down the cavern. "If what you say is true, we'll have a fresh supply of beads that could last for over a year."

"As long as they're properly distributed and not just hoarded by Silva." Louis responded.

Before heading out, Louis had made sure to contact the Provisional Government to inform them about the fresh bloodspring. The Cerberus troops were then immediately sent to set up a temporary outpost, and since they were already going to be there Louis' group remained to make sure they got there just fine.

"Of course, Silva has us split the beads appropriately to give some of the groups what they need." The operative stated, getting a dirty look from Yakumo.

"Some of the groups you say?"

"After the beads taken out by the levy are applied, of course not every group may get some of the Blood Beads." The operative responded, looking to the redhead. "There's only so much that can go around, even if this bloodspring pours out fifty beads a day, not everyone can get the necessary amount."

"So you'll just let everyone else go thirsty, huh? Then what? You got another hoard of Lost to deal with."

"We'll deal with them as needed. But as I said, we cannot get beads to everyone, if we could we would."

"You're not even concerned about-"

"That's enough Yakumo." Louis interrupted, holding his arm between the two Revenants. "We can't convince Silva to change his levy system, not yet. All we can do is focus on our mission first. Then we'll meet the general and have a talk about his ideas." Although Louis showed restraint, it was barely containing the fire that burned inside. He despised the levy system and letting Revenants Frenzy of bloodthirst, but so far he had no options. A single bloodspring couldn't account for even a tenth of the Revenants in Vein.

"…Fine." Yakumo relented, turning away and placing his weapon on his shoulder. Upon gearing up, Heredis was caught off guard seeing Yakumo's weapon, the massive greatsword having a double edge curved with a fashion similar to Louis. And considering the ease he carried it, Yakumo's strength could go ahead without question.

"Be sure to report of any more Blood Beads you may come across. Any more could help the other groups you're concerned about." The operative stated as Louis turned away. "We wouldn't want to keep them out of fresh relief would we?"

"Trust me, we'd let you know if we were aware of anymore."

"…There's another one close by." Heredis would speak up as the two started to walk away, the three Revenants all looking to him. "Before the group of Revenants captured me I… found a bloodspring producing Blood Beads, at a decent rate too. Maybe not as good as this one, but I know it will help if you give it to the other groups."

"Where would you say the bloodspring is?" The operative questioned.

"You'll have to ask the Revenants if they reform, but I wouldn't say it's too far from here. Maybe within a kilometer of the fork way of roads? It was in the center of a street that broke down into a cliffside if that helps."

"Yes, it will." The operative nodded. "We'll be sure to find it and further distribute the beads to who we can. Thank you for your assistance."

"Just let Silva know I call dibs on talking to him first." Heredis warned as he turned, Louis and Yakumo walking beside him as they did.

"You didn't mention you revitalized the bloodspring." Louis whispered to Heredis.

"You didn't either." He responded. "And besides, we both know exactly what they would do if they found out I was responsible for two fresh sources of Blood Beads. If you need me for the mission, keeping Cerberus out of the loop is the best option for now."

"Smart move." Yakumo agreed. "But here's another question, what's your beef with Silva? Didn't you just wake up?"

"Name leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Heredis answered, the trio continuing ahead to where the territory went down to an underground pathway. "He's also the reason Oliver and others have to do some awful things, and is indirectly responsible for Oliver turning into a monster. I want to have a chat on why he thinks the levy system is a good process."

"On that, we can certainly agree." Louis nodded. The path they were taking was a normal run for smugglers, meaning there wasn't any Lost in the tunnels. However the miasma was thick in the air, making the purifier masks work at top gears to prevent any frenzy.

The amount had visibly made Heredis uncomfortable, the Revenant shifting his mask as he could almost feel some of the miasma with each breath. It left a sour taste and made it hard to breathe, making him wonder how Oliver was able to even talk while inhaling it.

"Holding in there?" Louis asked, noticing Heredis' uncomfortable shifting.

"Yeah, just still getting used to when the miasma is thick." He admitted. "I was too thirsty to notice it when I didn't have a mask, and ever since I was breathing air that had less thanks to the Mistles. So it's a little jarring at the moment."

"Well just work your magic and it shouldn't be a problem." Yakumo stated. "There's a Mistle not too far from here, so if your blood really does do the trick then you'll get that relief you want."

"…Right." Although Yakumo wasn't being as on guard, Heredis easily picked up the tone of distrust in his voice. He was helping, but the new arrival was still an unknown factor, one Yakumo made clear to keep an eye on until he proved he could be fully trusted.

After a minute of walking, the trio would reach a staircase that went up, and before reaching the surface they found the Mistle mentioned. Taking a deep breath, Heredis would remove his mask before biting into his wrist, drawing blood and letting it drip onto the Mistle's roots. The blood would soak in and in a second, the Mistle would glow and sprout to life, clearing up the air.

"Well, expectations exceeded." Yakumo chuckled, him and Louis taking their masks off as they looked to Heredis.

"That settles it, you're absolutely vital to this operation." Louis announced. "With your help, we'll be able to find the Source. And once we do, we can correct the mistake Silva made."

"Right." Heredis nodded, the three putting their masks back on before heading to the surface. Upon reaching it, they'd find themselves deeper in the city ruins, looking to the dusty skyline as the sun barely shined through.

"When we first started, we had no problem getting around the city. The only problem was the Lost." Louis explained as they walked. "Although as time passed, the miasma got too thick for us to safely traverse through. We managed to find the bloodspring on the surface here and the one in the Howling Pit, so we know where to go for our investigation."

"But luckily with you here, now there's no serious problem to the miasma, especially if you heal some of the rotten Mistles lying around." Yakumo added, confusing Heredis. "There's some Mistles that are smaller than the normal ones, nothing special to them besides helping clear the miasma. Fix those, and you greatly thin out the air. Get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I get it." Heredis nodded, looking ahead and raising an eyebrow. "Um, how many people come around here?"

"Not many, even with a mask it's dangerous for a…" Louis would begin to say, trailing off as he and Yakumo saw what Heredis did. A single Revenant was sitting on a pile of rubble, looking down to his hands in defeat. His Blood Veil and clothes were in tethers, showing he recently got out of a serious scuffle.

"Well, that can't be good." Yakumo said as the three approached. "Hey! You alright there?"

"Huh!?" The Revenant nearly jumped as he noticed the trio, looking up in panic. "Oh you're… you aren't monsters…"

"I take it you recently woke up?" Louis questioned, getting a nervous nod from the Revenant.

"Y-Yeah I… I think I died for a year or two. I can't remember a lot and I… it's getting hard to breathe." The Revenant said, rubbing his throat as his eyes were glowing red. "I lost my mask and the miasma's getting to my head. I don't know how long I…"

"What's your name?" Heredis asked, getting the Revenant's attention.

"M-Matthew, I think my name is Matthew."

"Here Matthew." Heredis would kneel next to Matthew, reaching into his Blood Veil to pull out a Blood Bead and a full-face purifier mask. "There's a Mistle down the staircase we came from, drink the bead and then put your mask on when you get there. If you follow the path you should run into a team of Cerberus troops. If you're lucky, they might point you in the direction of a nearby camp of Revenants."

"Y-You're actually… you're just giving me these?' Matthew asked, hesitant to reach for the items as Heredis offered them.

"My friends here each have a few of their own Blood Beads, if one of us needs one we got plenty." He informed, placing the bead in Matthew's right hand and the mask in his left. "And we need these masks to avoid frenzy. We wouldn't want any more to join the Lost, so it feels like the smart thing to do in giving you it."

"Th-thank you!" Matthew said, his thirst almost making him instantly bite into the Blood bead before realizing it would be best to consume it by the Mistle. "I… I don't know how I'll repay you, but I swear I'll-!"

"Think nothing of it." Yakumo interrupted. "Now get back to the Mistle, better sooner rather than later."

"Y-yes, thank you again!" Matthew nodded, getting up and running in the direction they came with the bead and mask in hand.

"Didn't realize you had a bead on you." Louis said as he looked to Heredis, the silver-haired Revenant standing up and watching Matthew run off.

"Borrowed it from that one Revenant who captured me and Io. His body was gone, so I don't think he had a problem with me taking it." He revealed.

"Okay, better question. Where'd you get the mask?" Yakumo questioned, getting Heredis to look away in awkwardness. "Holy shit you stole from Murasame's stash."

"It felt like a good idea, if any of our masks broke." Heredis defended. "She isn't going to be mad, is she?"

"No, I think she'll be fine knowing it saved someone." Louis encouraged, Yakumo adding in by smacking Heredis' shoulder.

"Maybe tell her next time, but that's definitely the right thinking around here. Keep that up and you'll be good in my books."

"If it keeps the barrel of your gun away from my heart, that'll be great."

"Hehehe, just keep it up."

* * *

After encountering Matthew, the trio would be forced to fight against a group of Lost in the area. They were much better armed then the first horde Heredis saw, however with the numbers they had the Revenants were much better off. Yakumo was also able to show his own stills, a single heavy swing from him nearly cleaving some of the Lost apart. He worked well with Louis speed, the two taking down a bulk of the abominations while Heredis dealt with the stragglers.

Watching the two, he could tell they had seen their fair share of battles together. They fought expertly, not even needing to communicate as they went back and forth with the Lost. There weren't many Lost to fight, so after a quick extermination they would reach a parking garage, holding together although crumbled on the inside.

"Looks like tight corners in there." Yakumo noted, looking around the corner to see a few Lost. "Until we find a more open area in there, my weapon's just going to get in the way. Louis, you and Heredis will have to deal with the next group. I'll cover you if any come up uninvited."

"Got it, Heredis you ready?" Louis asked, looking the silverhead.

"I've figured out how to summon my Blood Veil's tail, I can hit the furthest while you get the one closer." Heredis stated, the spearhead in his coat's design extending out and forming into a long metal scorpion tail.

"Good idea, we'll go on my mark." Louis said, tightening his hand on his sword while Heredis narrowed his eyes in focus. "Ready? Go!"

Jumping into action, Louis would rush forward and impale the closer of the two Lost through its back before it could react. The second was about to swing at him, but was interrupted as Heredis' tail cut its arm off, getting an annoyed grunt from the Revenant as he aimed for the chest.

_'Looks like I need to work on aiming with it.'_ He'd think as he held his free hand out, firing a Blood Bolt that pierced through the Lost and destroyed its heart. Both beasts then turned to ash, clearing the way for them as they moved through the rubble.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Yakumo commented, seeing Heredis' disappointed look.

"It's like having an extra limb." He said, letting the tail come out again with a shorter length as the blade twisted idly. "I gotta adjust for the movement of both it and the Lost. I'll catch on quick, but it's definitely jarring."

"Imagine having two that operate as extra heads that you have to control." The redhead chuckled, gesturing to his back, the two sleeves hanging from his Blood Veil. "Hound types require quick thinking, since the hounds sick on basically the first thing you look at if you don't concentrate on holding them back."

"Well then, I guess that only adds on to the list of ways you can kill me. Bullet to the heart, cleaved in two, and now ripped to pieces. Great."

"You'll be fine, Yakumo's all talk if he isn't fighting." Louis stated, stepping over a pile of debris and jumping down. "The threats are just to keep you in line until he knows what you're all about."

"Well, consider me on the line." Heredis muttered, the two following Louis as they moved around the rubble. The garage was extremely damaged, but was holding together enough that nothing was shifting underneath them. Luckily with the damage, the debris made it impossible for a larger Lost to remain and be an obstacle. It made fighting the smaller Lost a challenge, but Louis' experience and Heredis' quick adapting made it a breeze to eliminate any they came across.

Eventually they'd reach the ramp way to go down to the next floor, Heredis seeing in the corner of his eye another Mistle that could be used. But as he would move ahead to revitalize it, his nose would pick up an overwhelming scent. The moment he took a single whiff, his eyes burned red and he grunted in thirst.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Yakumo would ask, running up to Heredis and pausing as her picked up the same scent. Taking a few extra sniffs, his eyes would widen in realization as he recognized the smell. "Louis, do you smell that?"

"Yeah, I do." The Revenant nodded, stepping past the two as he knelt down, drawing Heredis' attention to a blot of blood on the ground. "Human blood, and it's fresh."

"Human… blood…?" Heredis groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead as he struggled to keep his bloodthirst under control.

"Take it easy, just breathe through your mouth. In and out, avoid taking in the scent." Yakumo instructed his fellow Revenant, placing a hand on his shoulder as he panted, his breathing slowly regaining control. "There you go, get that thirst out of you. It's only from the scent, it isn't anything that'll put you in a frenzy."

"Sorry…"

"Don't be, human blood's a hell of a stimulant for Revenants. Especially fresh blood." Yakumo responded, releasing Heredis as his eyes returned to normal. "Keeping your head on straight?"

"Yeah, I think I'm good. Damn, I didn't know a smell could be so intoxicating. One sniff and I didn't think on anything else." Heredis admitted, shaking his head as he got the thirst out of his system, although the thought of the blood stuck in his head like a fantasy.

"It's why Silva keeps the humans as protected as he does. Blood Beads do the job, but human blood is much more potent in releasing a Revenant's power." Louis explained, standing up as he turned to him. "They also sate our thirst far longer than beads ever could. It's addicting, once you get a taste all you can think of is getting another bite."

"The only problem is that humans only have so much blood in them." Yakumo continued. "They can't give out enough to support everyone. And if you drink too much… well, killing a human is unfortunately much easier than killing a Revenant or Lost."

"Damn it, and this stuff is fresh?" Heredis questioned. "That means a human's out here; how and why did they escape from the Provisional Government?"

"Most likely, they didn't." Louis answered. "Some humans have been in hiding for years, evading the Lost and not being discovered by Silva's forces. But some are also kidnapped from the shelters, where Revenants then use their blood to satisfy their thirst while giving Silva every Blood Bead they find. Cerberus usually doesn't ask twice if a group gives more beads then the levy requires, so they don't bother investigating why they're so willing to part with them."

"Now where did you run off to?" The three's heads would all snap to the corner of the garage, hearing a lone voice speak out as footsteps became more audible. "Come on out, you know this'll be easier if you just show yourself." Eventually a revenant would step into view, a rough individual with a full-face purifier mask and a bayonet rifle in hand. He was sniffing the air urgently, attempting to track the human. When he picked up the fresh blood, he turned to see the party of Revenants, and the hostility in the area instantly went up.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" He questioned, stepping up to them. "Did you take the human?"

"No, we haven't seen any." Louis answered, keeping a leveled head as he did. "We're out here doing some work for the Provisional Government."

"Oh really? Well then tell me why trash like you has the sweet smell of a human on ya!?" The Revenant shouted, getting in Louis face as he did. "The human belongs to us, try and take her and you'll have a problem on your hands." He'd then shove his shoulder into Louis, pushing him to the side as he stomped on ahead. Although as he passed Heredis, he'd see the silverhead's narrow stare, getting a sneer from him. "What are looking at!?"

"…" Heredis would remain quiet, looking to Louis and Yakumo. The two both shook their head, getting him to grunt as he looked away. "…Nothing."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." The Revenant grinned before walking away, leaping off the ledge to land on the ground a few meters below.

"She's in deep running off." Yakumo commented, looking at the ledge where the Revenant jumped off. "Lost aren't as drawn to humans, but if she so much as nudges one it won't be much of a fight."

"We're going after her, right?" Heredis asked, looking back to them as he did.

"Of course, we're not going to just leave her to be recaptured." Louis answered. "If she's bleeding, she got hurt before she escaped. A Lost would rip a human to shreds before they could get a step in and we don't even know how much damage she's taken."

"Let's see if we can find her before our rival does." Yakumo stated, smirking underneath his mask as he did. "Let's get this Mistle running and then start the game, shall we?"

"With pleasure." Heredis would respond, taking his mask off as he stared where the Revenant jumped down with contained fury. The desire for human blood at the back of his head was already gone, replaced with adrenaline as a life was now at risk. Whoever the human was, she was in pain, in danger, and was being hunted by a Revenant to be returned to the group she just escaped.

_'Whoever you are, hold on for as long as you can.'_

* * *

"Damn, that's going to be a bit of a problem." Yakumo grunted as he bit his thumb.

The bulk of the area past the Mistle was filled with over two dozen Lost, half holding some kind of weapon while three had wielded shields. The sheer amount gave the trio a hassle, finding the amount difficult to manage at times, however with their own numbers and the greater freedom of movement they were able to disperse the bulk of them. But now they've hit a serious roadblock.

Before them was a massive drop-off, the next area they had to reach was connected only by a single Thorn of Judgment. It reached the whole way, but the artificial pathway couldn't be more than a single meter wide, not a lot of space to maneuver. Not only that, but there were three Lost armed with bayonet rifles at the other end, accompanied by a massive Lost with deformities and bloated flesh. The largest of the Lost was armed with a large hammer, appearing as a more bloated, female version of what Oliver had transformed into.

"No room to move, a massive drop, and a large Lost at the end guarding the spot to stable ground." Louis noted, measuring the territory and placement of Lost with a cautious stare. "This isn't a good position. If there was only one of us, getting by wouldn't be a problem. Blitzing past them and running would work well. But we can't risk splitting up, and Yakumo's speed puts him at serious risk."

"And we can't risk falling either, if we die the bastard will easily reach the human and get away before we can reform." Yakumo added in, tightening his free hand into a fist. "Damn it, every second we waste here he could already have found her. By then, there's no chance she can get away."

"We need to find a way to distract them, get their attention off the Thorn while the other two ambush them from behind." Louis concluded. "If we need that, I can get past them no problem."

"No way, you're tough Louis but you don't have the physical strength to withstand a hit from that larger Lost." Yakumo argued. "I'll go, that second Thorn is close enough to the other edge where you and Heredis can jump it and ambush the third ranged Lost. Dealing with the others will be a cakewalk by then."

"And what, you get sniped off and disperse? No, we need your strength, we can't risk you getting killed if something worse shows up."

"That settles it then, I'll do it." Heredis stated, spinning his sword in hand as he stood up.

"Heredis, you're the most vital piece in this mission. If you get killed, then we're setback for days." Louis argued, getting Heredis to shake his head.

"I may be rough around the edges, but my Blood Veil might serve a good way of blocking an attack. And we can't bother arguing who is the more expendable of us, we need to decide now before that human gets taken again." He stated, looking ahead in determination. "I don't have to win; I just need to stall them. That I know I can handle."

They wanted to argue, but if they were to go after and save the human they knew they had to hurry. The position was far from ideal, they didn't suspect the Lost getting a shot that would destroy heart, but an unlucky stab or hitting a sharp rock at the bottom of the gorge was all that was needed to end it. But he was also the most balanced between the three. He wasn't nearly as fast as Louis, but he could outpace Yakumo, and his Blood Veil could certainly close the gap in strength to defend himself.

"Move quick, don't go for a hit unless you think you can end it quick." Louis eventually relented, pointing to the silver haired Revenant.

"Yeah, I got that in mind." Heredis responded, cracking his neck as he jumped down from their vantage point, the dust around his feet dispersing as he looked to the Thorn of Judgment. Shifting a foot back, he'd dig in before pushing forward, moving as fast as he could in order to quickly transverse the limited terrain.

By the time he reached halfway across the thorn, the Lost marksmen caught sight of him, all three aiming and taking a shot at him. Seeing the bolts, Heredis would raise his sword up to block the bolts on his right, managing to cut one and narrowly dodge the other. The third shot to his left however struck at his hip, getting a moment of pause, but he would fight against it and quickly continue his run.

As he saw the Lost prepare for another shot he'd summon a Blood Bolt and fire it at the Lost to his left, striking it in the head and knocking it onto its back. By the time it landed, the bloated Lost turned to see him, raising its massive hammer up and aiming for a wide swing at him. Seeing he only had a second, Heredis would lunge forward, jumping just over the polearm and landing on his shoulders onto solid ground.

Twisting onto his feet, he'd summon his Blood Veil's tail as the Lost swung back at him. The force easily outmatched the Revenant, knocking him crashing back across the concrete near the edge. He would stop just short of falling, the Revenant's head and left should hanging over the edge as a piece of rubble gave in to his weight.

"Damn, swings just as hard as Oliver did." He winced, his arms feeling numb from attempting to block with both his Veil and sword. Getting up, he'd immediately roll to the side as a marksman shot at his head, then pushing off his arms as the Lost he stunned slammed its first down by where his chest was.

Reacting on instinct, Heredis would kick its chest in return, getting to his feet and slashing across its stomach. The Lost stumbled back, but lunged forward with a wide swing of its arm. Heredis would duck under it and cut underneath its armpit, dismembering the limb. He'd then shoot his veil's tail behind him, impaling right through the Lost and draining it of ichor. As he would recall it, he'd see the bloated Lost swing down at him, rolling to the side and sliding on his hip to avoid the follow up swing. As he got back up to his feet he'd rear his hand back, firing a Blood Bolt into the Lost' face.

The shot of ichor didn't even faze the beast, instead laughing as it swung down at him again. Holding his guard up once more, the Revenant would be unable to summon his Veil's tail and took the full impact of the weapon's strength. The resulting hit caused him to lose hold of his weapon, crashing across the concrete until he struck a pile of rubble.

He would collapse to the ground, coughing out blood under his mask as he tried to recover his senses. As he'd reach for his sword, he'd look up to see the Lost standing before him, raising its hammer high, ready to crush him. But before it hit, multiple fire balls struck its arm, severely burning it and forcing it to release its hammer, the weapon cracking into the ground just to Heredis' side.

When the Lost turned to where it was hit, Yakumo would plunge his greatsword right through its bloated gut, his greatsword coated in flames as he impaled right through the beast. Louis then followed suit, jumping up and slashing his sword across the Lost's head. When he landed behind it, the upper portion of the Lost's cranium would slowly slide off, the flames burning the flesh to prevent any regeneration. It then slowly turned to ash, Yakumo having kept it from collapsing before it dispersed safely.

"Heredis, are you alright?" Louis would ask, the flames around his blade vanishing as he knelt next to the damaged Revenant.

"Oh man, that felt worse than when Oliver did that." Heredis coughed, pushing his hand against his mask to prevent it from coming off.

"How bad?"

"Nothing threatening. Find me a Mistle and I'll be back to 100%, although I can definitely feel my cells slowly healing the damage."

"Not bad, although you could've stuck the landing." Yakumo chuckled, resting his greatsword on his shoulder as Louis helped the Revenant stand up. "Getting the hang of things?"

"I'd prefer better footing. Maybe when the threat of plummeting to become a pasty red stain is gone I can better gauge what I can do."

"Eh, fair enough."

* * *

"There, that should be the last of them." Louis sighed, taking in a deep breath of clear air as Heredis revitalized a rotten Mistle. After Heredis recovered from the impact he took, the managed to clear through most of the Lost without much of a problem. And after finding a dried up Mistle to recover their power, they moved on to clear out the remaining Lost around.

"Looks like we caught a lucky break, most were in the city." Yakumo noted, looking back to the others as he did. "I hope the human's around here though, if she went out of our way we may not be able to help her."

"She's here." Heredis answered, sitting on the ground with his sword impaled in the ground next to him. "I can smell her blood; she can't be far from us." There were no stains of blood, none that had caught Yakumo or Louis' noses, meaning her wounds have likely recovered enough to avoid losing any more blood. Which meant that Heredis was likely smelling the dried blood on her, and as a fresh Revenant his sensitivity to the scent would explain how he was able to detect her unlike them.

"Then we have to act quickly." Yakumo responded, lifting his greatsword up.

"Of course." Louis agreed, putting his mask on while Heredis stood up. "But we may need to air on the side of caution. We don't know what made that." The Revenant pointed out, looking to a massive cocoon that was hanging off a hill of rubble. The strange webbing was in the shape of a flower, and the material spread to even near where they were.

It wasn't uncommon for Lost to mutate over time, although often once a full transformation occurred there wasn't much more for them to develop. But a few could push past their physical limits due to a unique Blood Code, resulting in a drastic advancement in their body and abilities. There wasn't much known on these Lost, but they were simply known as Greater Lost, emphasizing their heightened abilities. Louis felt certain the cocoon was made by one of these Greater Lost, and it wasn't known yet if the Lost was still in the area or left after its metamorphosis. But the matter at hand was too important to wait and determine it, leading the team to push on into the open terrain.

"Let go of me!" Just before the trio stepped into the opening, they heard the shout of a women pierce through, getting them to look to the base of the cocoon. They saw not only the Revenant from before, but a young woman pulling against him, attempting to break free of his hold as he tugged her to follow.

"Stop fighting, you stupid wretch!" He growled, his superior strength keeping a firm grip on her. But despite the difference, he couldn't risk damaging her too much, resulting in her almost breaking free. He then had to turn his full attention on her, gripping both her arms as he tightened his hold. "Without you, the entire group is doomed; or did you forget that when you ran away!?"

"I won't go back! I'd rather die!"

"As relieving it would be to just let that happen, your blood is too important! So stop struggling or I might have to break something!" He threatened, but the notion only brought further struggle, forcing him to tighten his hold more and drawing blood. "If you don't quit this shit then I'll have to do something we'll both regret! I don't want to, but I will break a damn leg if I have to!"

"Damn it, we didn't beat him here." Yakumo cursed, planting his feet as he narrowed his gaze. "Well, strength succeeds where speed fails."

"Wait, hold on!" Louis warned, both Yakumo and Heredis stopping as they caught on to what he saw, witnessing a shifting mass of purple at the heart of the cocoon slowly pull itself out.

"What the hell?" The Revenant would turn to see the trio, caught off guard by Louis shouting and nearly losing his grip on the human.

"Aaahhhhhhhh!" She shouted as she looked up to the cocoon, horror filling her face as the mass slowly took form.

"What's wrong!?" He'd instantly drop his guard, following her gaze and catching a glimpse of what terrified her before getting struck hard in the side, sending him crashing to the edge of the platform area.

Having been freed, the human ran for the base of the cocoon, seeing an opening that she could hide in. "Wait!" Heredis called out, running for her before getting tackled by Louis, the Revenant teleporting to force him out of the way of a purple gas.

As the two got up, they'd look up to see the Greater Lost float down in between them and the entrance, its form finishing manifesting. Six purple wings extended out, the membrane glowing a faint pink to match the skin of the base of the Lost. The base seemed that of a woman, masses of Lost material hardening into an armor membrane over its chest, legs and head in the shape of a crown. And as it spun into its final pose, a massive tail poked out from behind it, opening to reveal a monstrous jaw with three sets of eyes to reveal the separate entity.

"The Butterfly of Delirium." Louis muttered, recognizing the Lost as the three of them got into combative stances.

"I thought that thing was at the center of the city ruins? What is it doing here?" Yakumo questioned, the Lost roaring as it spread its wings in a sign of dominance.

"Ask questions later, this thing's between us and the human!" Heredis shouted, preparing a Blood Bolt as the Lost flew right at them.

"Scatter!" Louis ordered, all three Revenants lunging in different directions to avoid the monster. When they landed, both Louis and Heredis would take aim and fire their ranged Gifts, hitting it in the back and causing a larger explosion as their ichor fused. However the Lost would just be force forward more, showing greater resilience than previous they had encountered.

"Looks like it'll take more to take this bug down!" Yakumo announced, jumping up to slash down across its side. The Lost would block with its wings, pushing him back before spinning its body, seeing Louis and Heredis rush it. The two would roll low as its tail bit at them, Louis slashing up as fire ignited around the three's weapons.

"Don't give it an opening!" He shouted, jumping back as Heredis ducked under the tail's next bite and cut across its base. He then rolled to the side as the Lost slammed its tail down, a puff of purple gas coming out of the mouth and getting into Heredis' mask.

The moment he took a small breath in, the Revenant began to cough violently in pain, drops of blood escaping from his mouth. He rose his weapon up in time as the Lost spun at him, striking his weapon with its tail and forcing him to skid several meters back near the edge. He then threw his arm forward, firing a Blood Bolt right into the tail's mouth as it would open it.

The combined ichor would react to the gas, causing a small burst that sent more across the area and enter all three Revenant's masks. "Poison!" Louis would realize, teleporting out of the radius and covering his face with his arm. "Don't breathe in too much!"

"No point in going slow!" Yakumo shouted, jumping past the Lost and landing a deep cut across its torso. "If we fight it for too long, it'll cover this whole area in the stuff! We have to kill it fast!"

"Then let's get some good hits in!' Heredis responded, summoning his Blood Veil's tail and preparing it as Yakumo slid into position beside him. The redhead would grin, gripping his greatsword with both hands as his sleeves extended before transforming into two hound heads.

The two would then run forward, the Lost spreading its wings out wide and firing a mist of poison at them. The two moved quick through it, enduring the pain it brought their lungs and sending their Veil's forward. Yakumo's hounds would reach first, biting down on the Lost's torso and a wing to keep it in place while Heredis' tail spear cut into its side, missing a direct hit on the stomach.

_'Damn it, I missed again!'_ The silverhead growled as the two recalled their Veils, their attempt at dodge coming up short as the Lost's tail swung out and struck the both of them, puffing out poison as it did to further damage the two. They rolled back, getting onto their feet in the midst of skidding back before seeing the Lost flying directly at them.

"Don't use your Veils!" Louis shouted, rushing past them and rearing his arm back, summoning a Veil claw and slashing up at the Lost. Hitting it in the head, he'd knock it off course to where it missed the two, striking its cocoon instead and falling to the ground. "We need to focus on our speed!"

Without responding, the two would understand as all three rushed at the Lost, seeing it struggle to regain its focus. They'd all slash across its body, skidding to a halt and turning to deliver several more blows onto its body. As it was slowly refocusing, Heredis would rear his sword back and lunge forward, aiming to pierce directly into the monster's face with the flaming blade.

But as he was about to land the attack, the Lost's tail moved past its body and grabbed the Revenant, biting down hard and shooting out a constant stream of poison into his body. "Heredis!" Louis and Yakumo would call out, the latter of the two focusing his ichor into his body and lunging forward, cutting at the Lost's tail hard enough to get a pained screech from it.

As it reeled in pain, the tail would fling Heredis to the side, getting caught by Louis as he teleported to behind him in midair. When they landed on the ground, Louis would look down to see Heredis convulsing, the poison now coursing through his body.

_'Damn it, his body will dissipate at this rate.'_ Louis realized, reaching into his vest and pulling out an injector. As he was about to jab it into Heredis' neck his instincts flared and he released the tool, grabbing the Revenant's shoulder and pulling him to the side as the Lost slammed its tail down where they were.

He then wrapped his arms underneath Heredis' armpits and retreated back, forced to teleport several times the Lost was relentlessly chasing after them. When his ichor would run out, Yakumo would boost himself forward and smack the Lost across its face with his weapon, landing between it and his team with his sword held at the ready.

"Stay focused Louis, he'll be alright as long as his heart isn't destroyed!" Yakumo stated, blocking an attack from the Lost and rushing forward with a heavy swing.

"…Sorry Heredis." Louis apologized, resting the Revenant down as he gripped his sword. "We'll deal with this as quick as we can. Just hold out for a little bit longer." He'd then take off to assist Yakumo, leaving Heredis to endure the poison's burning pain.

_'D-Damn it!'_ He grunted, watching as the two engaged the Lost directly, both having to constantly be on the move to avoid getting poisoned themselves. Meanwhile the poison coursing through him made the slightest movements painful. _'This damn poison, I can barely breath with it in me. The Lost had a better recovery than expected.'_

The Revenant, although weakened, was unwilling to simply remain in his position. Reaching into his Blood Veil, he'd feel around before clasping tightly onto something. Pulling it out slowly, he'd use both his hands to hold onto the syringe, thanking his luck for picking a poison antidote to buy from Coco. Making sure he had a careful enough grip, he'd then pop the cap off the needle, barely flinching as he plunged the needle into his neck.

_'Damn Lost, I'm not going to let you kill me! Not when I'm still trying to recover the memories I already forgot!'_ He'd think, pushing down on the syringe and injecting the violet fluid into his body. The cure caused an unreal amount of pain, feeling it burn through his veins and destroy the poison killing him. The pain only last for a second, and once it ended he'd rip the needle out and toss the injector to the side.

Pushing himself up, the Revenant would reach for his sword as a fire lit in his eyes. Placing his hand over the blade, he'd recall the burning sensation the antidote had caused in his body, taking a second to reconstruct the heat he felt.

_'Focus, recall that burst. Let your ichor be the fuel and let it ignite!'_ Snapping his eyes open, Heredis would swing his sword to the side as flames burst around it, igniting the blade as his ichor charged it. _'So… that's how these Blood Codes work. Feel it out, recognize it, and force it.'_ He'd realize before running forward, lunging at the Lost as its tail opened its mouth and aimed to Yakumo.

As it would start to fire a mist of poison, he'd jump up and drive the blade into the Lost's back, surprising Louise and Yakumo as they saw the burning blade burst out through it's chest. Keeping their composure though, the two would immediately take advantage of the Revenant's move, Louis teleporting and slashing twice across its tail while Yakumo swung high and struck its head with extreme force.

Heredis would pull his blade and push off the Lost, avoiding it as it crashed to the ground from the three-pronged attack, staggering up as its wings suffered significant damage from Louis' burning crimson blade.

"Surprised you're up." Yakumo noted, looking to Heredis as he stood in a readied posture.

"Bought my own antidote from Coco, looks like it came in handy."

"Heh, I'll say."

"Let's focus on the task at hand." Louis ordered, narrowing his eyes at the Lost as it got up slowly. "It's slowing down, it most likely can't regenerate anymore. If we can get a massive blow on its chest or head, then it's dead."

"You can count on me for the chest." Yakumo responded, the three running forward as the Lost rose back into the air.

"That leaves us to get the head!" Louis stated, the three jumping away as the Lost fired a massive ball of poison, a mist forming behind them as it hit the ground. Its tail then went ahead of its body, breathing out a massive flow of poison mist as they ran directly for it, moving all around to cover the entire area in the mist.

"There isn't an opening!" Heredis shouted.

"Then we make one!" Yakumo screamed, swinging his greatsword down to create an opening for the Revenants. This killed his momentum, forcing him to pick back up on his running as Heredis and Louis took the lead.

When the Lost saw them lined up, it rushed forward with its tail, the beast's mouth opening to try and bite one of the Revenants. Louis would then teleport before its teeth grazed his, Heredis sliding underneath it and wincing as a tooth grazed his forehead, letting him get past. Yakumo saw its coming and had time to respond in kind, pulsing his ichor as he lunged forward in a wide arc to hit the tail to the side, overpowering it with his strength.

Heredis then turned on his heels as Louis appeared next to him, both rushing forward as the Lost looked directly to them. When it was about to let out a bellow of poison, it was stopped as Yakumo impaled it from behind, blood shooting out as he made sure he could hold it back. And with it contained, Louis and Heredis jumped up into the air, fire surrounding their left hands as they charged their ichor.

Both then fired a multitude of fireballs, completely dispersing the mist around it before stabbing their swords down with all their strength. Heredis' would impale deep into the Lost's shoulder, actually connecting between Yakumo's blades and locking it completely in place. And shortly after, Louis would land his feet on the Lost before driving his blade through its face, cutting off its roar with a deafening sear of his weapon.

Total silence went among the area as the Lost remained in place, its body struggling to remain together after taking such massive damage. But the burden became too much, and before long the monster began to fall apart. Ash soon began to pile around as the Revenant's weapons were freed and they planted their feet down. It wasn't long until they remained in a circle of the Lost's remains, allowing them the opportunity to breath and recover after the battle.

"Well, I'd say that went well." Yakumo chuckled, looking to the two as he did.

"Could've been a lot worst I guess." Heredis agreed, his breathing harsher as he pushed himself more than he was ready for. Using Louis' Gifts were exhausting to him, showing that he was extremely unprepared to properly use them. But he had managed to preform them, meaning that he was a Void-type, and capable of taking in another Revenant's Blood Code.

"So it finally clicked?" Louis asked, looking to Heredis as he did.

"It wasn't easy, and I'm pretty sure I burned through my ichor just using the two Gifts I did." Heredis answered, watching as the flames around their blades all disappear before returning Louis' stare, smirking underneath his mask. "But yeah, it definitely clicked."

"Fixes Mistles, read's Vestiges, and absorbs Blood Codes." Yakumo listed off, smacking Heredis' shoulder as he spoke with an audible grin. "Now all I gotta see is this magic of reviving a bloodspring and I'll officially believe you're a god among Revenants."

"I wouldn't go that far; I'm just doing my part."

"A part that fixes everyone's problems."

"Speaking of problems." Louis spoke, turning to the unconscious Revenant that was hunting for the human.

"Oh great, he's still alive. Quite the cockroach."

"We need to wake him up. Inform him of the… change to his plans."

"Oh ho ho." Yakumo laughed, cracking his knuckles after impaling his greatsword into the ground. "Leave that to me."

"Just don't kill him."

* * *

**(A/N): Well, this chapter took a bit longer than I hoped. Not so much for a bulk of the chapter, but the Butterfly of Delirium is one of three bosses I feel rather rough on writing because of its difficult to translate combat. I wanted it to be more, but to be honest it was never a difficult boss for natural challenge; just being a poison boss so early made it a lot more challenging than it really is. And as for how quick I progressed through the city ruins, i feel it's necessary, since if I did every fight encounter it'd be very repetitive and create a more boring process. ****Although I do plan to do more fights in certain areas, I feel a lot of early game is much better used to build up the world rather than to give fights. **

**But once I get into the swing of things and get to the bosses and unique enemies I know and enjoy I feel I'll get better and longer fights to preform. But with that finished, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!**


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